Risley Lower Grammar CE (VC) Primary School

Inspection Report Risley Lower Grammar CofE Primary School

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112850 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 289437 Inspection number 25 °26 September 2006 Inspection dates Mrs. Alison Cogher 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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Derby Road School address Primary Type of school Risley, Risley Voluntary controlled School category Derby, Derbyshire DE72 3SU 4 °11 Age range of pupils

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01159397622 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01159397622 Fax number 125 Number on roll (school) Mrs.Jill Summers Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Kathryn McKinley Headteacher 2 July 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 289437 25 °26 September 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a small primary school in the village of Risley situated between the cities of Derby and Nottingham. The school has close links with the local church which reflect its Christian Foundation. Almost all pupils come from a White British background and speak English as their first language. No pupils require support for learning English as a second language and very few are eligible for free school meals. An average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties or disabilities. The school works productively with local primary and secondary schools to extend pupils' learning.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Risley Lower Grammar CofE Primary School, 25 °26 September 2006

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Grade: 2

This is an effective school. Provision made for all pupils including those in the Foundation Stage is good. Improvement since the last inspection has been good and the school is in a strong position to improve further. Value for money is good. The school is well led by the headteacher with the full support of all staff and governors. Parents are very supportive of the school and give willingly of their time and expertise. The school communicates effectively with parents on a day-to-day basis but there is no formal system for gathering parents' views and ideas to enable them to contribute to the school improvement process. Expectations for all aspects of the school's work are high and staff work very well as a team. Changes to procedures and practice are consistently implemented to secure effective school improvement. Teachers and teaching assistants have many strengths and all are willing to learn from each other

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Grade: 2

to improve learning opportunities for all pupils. The systems to check the quality of the school's work are comprehensive but the gathering of information is not aligned with the end of year school improvement review. Consequently staff do not have the maximum time available in a year to bring about the improvements identified in the school's improvement plan. Pupils receive good quality care, guidance and support. Teachers know their pupils well and are very responsive to their individual, personal and academic needs. As a result pupils' personal development is good. Pupils feel safe and confidently take on responsibilities such as being 'playground buddies' or being members of the Year 6 'safety patrol', who help them walk safely to the Church each day for collective worship. Pupils' self-esteem is good and they learn well. They work very hard and rise to, and achieve, the challenging targets they are set. They are keen

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Grade: 2

to take more responsibility for their learning but not all of them are clear about how to improve their work. Pupils enjoy their time at school very much and behave exceptionally well both in lessons and at play. They value being consulted via the school council where they discuss issues in a mature way taking full account of each other's views. Pupils make good progress in lessons and achieve well because they are well taught. Teachers make particularly good use of assessment information to plan lessons that successfully support and challenge pupils of different ages and abilities. Almost all pupils have a positive attitude towards learning and are enthusiastic in lessons. This is particularly so when lessons contain a variety of interesting and often practical activities. Pupils are motivated to succeed and attain above average standards in English and mathematics. Standards in science are satisfactory. From the time they

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Grade: 2

start in Reception pupils have too few opportunities to plan and carry out their own investigations. Consequently, they do not develop the same level of understanding and skills in science as they do in other subjects. The curriculum is good. It is well organised and supported by specialist teaching and a good variety of visits and visitors that extend pupils' learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Raise standards in science by providing more opportunities for pupils to devise and carry out their own investigations. - Organise school monitoring procedures so that all the information gathered informs the school improvement review at the end of the 2 Inspection Report: Risley Lower Grammar CofE Primary School, 25 °26 September 2006 academic year. - Implement a system for gathering and responding to parents' views and ideas relating to school improvement. - Provide pupils with more opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning.

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Grade: 2

Children start in Reception with standards that are broadly as expected for their age. They make good progress and most achieve or exceed the expected goals by the time they enter Year 1. Pupils continue to make good progress and achieve well to reach standards that are above average by the end of Year 2. Standards in Year 6 are above average in English and mathematics and broadly average in science. After a dip in 2004 pupil achievement improved in 2005 as a result of the school's prompt actions to increase the progress made by pupils of all ages and abilities. Pupils' work and school records show that further improvement has been secured in 2006 although standards and achievement in English and mathematics remain higher than those in science.

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Grade: 2

Pupils have high aspirations for their future and enjoy their time at school very much. Consequently, attendance is above average. The behaviour of almost all pupils is exemplary and they have a mature and positive attitude towards learning. Pupils are confident and have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. Provision made for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is good and reflects the Christian ethos that underpins the school's work. Pupils of all ages contribute effectively to their own school community. They take pride in supporting others in the wider community by, for example, fund raising to support a child in India and providing entertainment such as singing at the local Hospice. Pupils' well developed personal skills together with the standards they reach prepare them well for the next stage in their education and the

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Grade: 2

Teachers make particularly good use of assessment information to plan lessons that enable pupils of all ages and abilities to learn well. There is some inconsistency in the planning of practical activities to support pupils' learning but resources are generally used well to enthuse pupils and make learning fun. Lessons move at a brisk pace and teaching assistants work closely with teachers to provide effective support and challenge for pupils. Pupils have the confidence to say when they have not understood something because relationships are strong and they know their teachers will help 3 Inspection Report: Risley Lower Grammar CofE Primary School, 25 °26 September 2006 them. This ensures pupils make good progress in lessons and build successfully on previous learning.

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Grade: 2

The well organised curriculum maintains the interest and enthusiasm of pupils. However, pupils have too few opportunities to plan and carry out their own science investigations. Effective links made between subjects provide pupils with opportunities to practise their skills in different contexts. For example, pupils regularly use information and communication technology in literacy lessons. Pupils' learning is extended by specialist teaching in physical education and music, and through visiting speakers and trips to places of interest. Productive links with the local secondary and primary schools provide valuable additional educational experiences for pupils. The good range of clubs on offer enable pupils to develop new skills such as learning French and playing chess.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are well cared for and receive good quality guidance and support. Procedures to ensure pupils' health and safety are robust and implemented effectively. Teachers know their pupils well because systems for assessing their personal and academic progress are well developed. Teachers frequently review the information they gather to check they are doing all they can to help pupils learn well and develop good personal skills. They do not always share this information sufficiently with pupils to enable them to take some responsibility for aspects of their learning. The school liaises well with outside agencies to ensure the most vulnerable pupils receive effective additional support.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides strong leadership and she is well supported by skilled subject leaders. Good relationships and teamwork are strengths of the school and ensure that agreed improvements are implemented consistently and effectively. Systems to check the quality of the school's work are rigorous but all the information gathered through the year is not available at the time the school improvement plan is reviewed. Consequently, changes to provision do not always start at the beginning of a new academic year. This reduces the time available to staff to secure improvements particularly in relation to raising achievement and standards. Governors provide good support for the school and hold it to account for its work. Parental interest and support for the school is high but there is no formal procedure for gathering the views of parents with regard to school improvement. 4 Inspection Report: Risley Lower Grammar CofE Primary School, 25 °26 September 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. 5 Inspection Report: Risley Lower Grammar CofE Primary School, 25 °26 September 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 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 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. 6 Inspection Report: Risley Lower Grammar CofE Primary School, 25 °26 September 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: Risley Lower Grammar CofE Primary School, 25 °26 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

27 September 2006 Dear Children Risley Lower Grammar C of E Primary School, Derby Road, Risley, Derbyshire, DE72 3SU Thank you very much for making me feel so welcome when I visited your school. I really enjoyed being in your lessons and talking to you about your work. You told me how much you like being at school. You also said how much you enjoyed your lessons and the other activities the teachers plan for you. I was impressed by the way you work hard, look after each other and behave so very well. You think you go to a good school and I am very happy to say I agree with you. Mrs McKinley, the governors and all the teachers and helpers in the classroom work together very well to make sure your lessons are fun. They want you to learn as much as you can and to get along happily with each other. Your parents want this for you too and give you and the school lots of support. Everyone at school takes good

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

care of you and works hard to help you feel safe and happy at school. Your school council want to help make things even better at school so keep telling them what you think. You are good at taking on responsibilities and are keen to do even more. I have asked Mrs McKinley and the teachers and governors to work on improving your school by: - Giving you more chances to plan and carry out science investigations for yourselves. - Making sure the way teachers check how well they and you are doing each year is better organised. - Finding a good way to ask your parents what they think of your school and how it might be improved. - Giving you more opportunities to take responsibility for your own learning. Thank you very much for helping me with the inspection of your school. Keep working hard so you can learn as much as you can and enjoy your time at Risley. Alison Cogher Lead inspector 8 Inspection Report: Risley Lower Grammar CofE Primary School, 25 °26 September 2006

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