Dinting Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection Report Dinting Church of England VA Primary School

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112884 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 289452 Inspection number 10 °11 January 2007 Inspection dates Martin Newell 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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Dinting Vale School address Primary Type of school Glossop Voluntary aided School category Derbyshire SK13 6NX 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01457 853371 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01457 853371 Fax number 163 Number on roll (school) Mr R Butt Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr A N Wood Headteacher 15 April 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 289452 10 °11 January 2007 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average primary school serving areas of Glossop in Derbyshire. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is a little below the national average as is the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The percentage of pupils with a statement of special educational needs is below the national average. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds and, of the small number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, none are at an early stage of acquiring English. The school has 'Healthy Schools' accreditation and a National Association of Advisors for Computers in Education award for information and communication technology.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Dinting Church of England VA Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school that provides satisfactory value for money. Inspectors endorse the school's judgement of its own effectiveness and judge that its track record of improvement indicates that it has a satisfactory capacity to improve further. Pupils' attainment when they start school is broadly average and remains so by the time that pupils leave the school. Reading standards are above average but pupils' problem solving and investigative skills in mathematics and science need continued and further development. Whilst achievement and progress are satisfactory overall they are not consistent. They are stronger in some year groups than others. This is directly linked to the quality of teaching. Where teaching is lively, demanding and captures the interest of pupils, as for example in Years 2 and 6, learning is accelerated and all pupils make good progress. However, teaching does not always have this sparkle

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Grade: 3

and at times does not provide enough challenge, particularly for the more able pupils. Pupils' personal development is good because pupils are well behaved, work hard and enjoy their time at school. The curriculum is sound. It generally meets the needs of pupils in an appropriate manner and is enhanced by a wide array of enrichment opportunities. Care, guidance and support are satisfactory, with some strong aspects. The school goes out of its way to help pupils lead healthy lifestyles, keep safe and make telling contributions to the school and wider communities. Both parents and pupils speak well of the school and the school council gives pupils a genuine voice. Parents find the school to be very friendly and approachable and, as one parent pointed out, 'Children thrive in the family atmosphere.' Leadership, management and governance are satisfactory. The headteacher and staff are committed to raising standards and achievement. They recognise that there is work

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Grade: 3

to be done to achieve this goal. The headteacher has introduced good procedures for assessing and tracking pupils' progress. Teaching and learning are monitored and evaluated in a satisfactory manner. However, the information gained from all these purposeful activities is not always used to best effect to ensure that all pupils make good progress.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure teaching is consistently vibrant and challenging, particularly for the more able pupils. • Improve pupils' problem solving and investigative skills in mathematics and science. • Ensure that information gained from assessment, tracking and monitoring activities is used more rigorously and effectively to help all pupils achieve well.

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Grade: 3

Achievement and standards are satisfactory overall. Attainment when children start at the school is broadly average and remains so by the end of the Foundation Stage. 2 Inspection Report: Dinting Church of England VA Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007 Children do not always make sufficient progress in the reception class because teaching and provision at times are not stimulating enough. Standards by the end of Year 2 have frequently been close to the national average but assessments in 2006 show attainment to be above average and evidence obtained during the inspection confirms that this trend is continuing. This is due to the rapid progress that pupils make in Year 2 because of high quality teaching. Standards by the end of Year 6 are above average in reading and average in mathematics and science overall, although pupils' problem solving and investigative skills need further development. National data and the

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Grade: 3

school's own assessment information indicate that, whilst progress overall between Years 3-6 is satisfactory, variability in the quality of teaching means that pupils, particularly the more able in Years 4 and 5, do not consistently make the progress of which they are capable of in mathematics and science. Conversely, pupils in Year 6 make significant strides in their learning because it is here that teaching is most effective. There is no significant difference in the progress made by different groups of pupils within the school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. They behave well and respond well to the high expectations staff have of them. Pupils are keen and enthusiastic learners who add much to the calm and purposeful ethos that pervades the school. Attendance is satisfactory. Pupils state that bullying is rare and that there is always someone to turn to with any problem. Pupils are reflective, showing a genuine concern for the needs of others. Strong links with a nearby multi-ethnic school provide good opportunities to extend their understanding of other people's cultures and beliefs. Pupils' understanding of how to keep fit, healthy and safe is good and is helped by the healthy eating options at lunch and snack times. Opportunities for pupils to contribute to the school and local community are good although there is scope for pupils to lead more initiatives through

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Grade: 2

the school council. Pupils are developing a satisfactory range of skills and qualities to help them in later life.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Across the school pupils are managed well and relationships are strong. In many lessons, teaching assistants make a telling contribution to how well pupils learn, although at times more use could be made of their skills and talents. On occasions teaching lacks challenge or a sense of excitement to readily capture the interest and imagination of the keen and enthusiastic learners that are present in every class. This however is not the case in Years 2 and 6 where teaching is packed with pace and fun, meets the needs of individuals very well and where pupils 3 Inspection Report: Dinting Church of England VA Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007 are only too ready to rise to the challenges that are set. Assessment is satisfactory. The school collates a great deal of useful information to identify the levels at which pupils are working. However, not all teachers are using this information to ensure that

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Grade: 3

the work they set for pupils is consistently matched to their abilities and, at times, this means that some pupils are not sufficiently challenged.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory with some good aspects. Pupils' numeracy and literacy skills are developed satisfactorily but there is room to improve the support given to pupils' problem solving and investigative skills in mathematics and science. Pupils have many opportunities to work with computers and other technology, and these are increasingly being used well across the curriculum. The school's success in this area has been recognised by a national award. Pupils with learning difficulties benefit from appropriate levels of support but, at times, the provision for the more able pupils lacks challenge. Particular strengths lies in the way that the school goes the extra- mile to provide good quality enrichment opportunities through its after school clubs, visits and visitors. Opportunities for pupils in Years 3 and 4 to study a foreign language enhances their cultural awareness. Personal, social and health education is given a

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Grade: 3

high priority that reinforces the school's ethos and promotes the pupils' good personal development. This provision and the extra-curricular activities all help to broaden pupils' experiences as well as contributing to the school's drive to encourage healthy and safe lifestyles.

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Grade: 3

Teachers and support staff know the pupils well, and the pastoral care provided is good. Procedures for child protection are good and known and carefully followed by staff. Safeguarding procedures are secure. Arrangements for pupils' safety and security are regularly reviewed and the pupils say they feel safe in school. Partnerships with others to promote pupils' well-being are sound. Links with other schools and parents are satisfactory and links with outside educational support agencies are good. The open, caring, family centred ethos of the school is valued highly by parents. The well established procedures ensure that induction into the school for young children and transfer from it at Year 6 is carried out sensitively and effectively. The quality and effectiveness of guidance and support for the pupils' academic development however are less consistent across the school. In English and mathematics, the pupils are given

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Grade: 3

individual targets but in some classes, particularly for the more able pupils, these are not sufficiently challenging and progress towards them is not always sufficiently well monitored. 4 Inspection Report: Dinting Church of England VA Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher manages the day-to-day life of the school in an effective and efficient manner and gives a high priority to the care and welfare of pupils. The school's self-evaluation is honest, frank and accurate. The headteacher is well supported by the deputy headteacher and together they monitor the quality of teaching and learning in a satisfactory manner. The headteacher has introduced good procedures for assessing and tracking pupils' progress. The weaker aspect is that the information gained from lesson observations, work sampling, data analysis and other monitoring activities is not yet consistently used in a rigorous and robust enough manner to have the best possible impact on how well pupils achieve. This issue is now being addressed with greater urgency. The good leadership in English and information and communication technology has led to improvements in standards

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Grade: 3

and achievement. The school is rightly planning to replicate this in mathematics and science. Governance is satisfactory. Governors are supportive of and committed to the school but not all governors play an active or sharp enough role in monitoring the work and performance of the school. 5 Inspection Report: Dinting Church of England VA Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Dinting Church of England VA Primary School, 10 °11 January 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? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 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 3 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?

3 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: Dinting Church of England VA Primary School, 10 °11 January 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? 8 Inspection Report: Dinting Church of England VA Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 January 2007 Dear Children Dinting Church of England Primary School, Dinting Vale, Glossop, Derbyshire, SK13 6NX You may remember that we recently visited your school and this letter is to tell you about what we found out. Before I do that I would like to thank all of you for making us feel so welcome and for being so polite when you spoke to us and to each other. Everywhere we went in school we were greeted with smiling faces. We had the chance to talk to many of you and it was pleasing to hear about how much you enjoy school, that bullying is not an issue and that there is always someone to talk to if you have any problems. We found that the school offers a good range of clubs, visitors and visits out of school that you really enjoy and appreciate. You think these make school a fun place to be. The school works hard at making sure that you are looked after, cared for and helped to keep fit and healthy. A major strength of the school is you.... the children! We were impressed with your

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

good behaviour, the manner in which you look out for one another and how you are always ready to give a helping hand. Mr Wood and all the staff are keen to make the school an even more exciting place for you to learn. We have made some suggestions to help them. There are times when some children do not learn as well as they might. We have asked the school to make sure that teachers always help you to make good progress and improve your problem solving and investigative skills in mathematics and science. We have also asked your teachers to check more carefully on how well you are doing so that you always achieve as well as you can. Mr Wood, the staff and the governors want the school to get better and better. Having met you we are sure you will want to play your part as well. We wish you every success in your futures. It was a pleasure and privilege to meet you. Martin Newell Lead Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Dinting Church of England VA Primary School, 10 °11 January 2007

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