Callowell Primary School

Callowell Primary School Inspection report

p.1

115570 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire Local Authority 290261 Inspection number 27 June 2007 Inspection date Malcolm Greenhalgh Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 162 School

p.1

The governing body Appropriate authority Andrew Charles Chair Mary McLearie Headteacher 1 March 2001 Date of previous school inspection Barrowfield Road School address Farm Hill Stroud GL5 4DG

p.1

01453 762962 Telephone number 01453 762962 Fax number

p.1

4 °11 Age group 27 June 2007 Inspection date 290261 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

This is a below average sized primary school on the outskirts of the town. Attainment on entry is broadly average with a slightly lower than average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The social circumstances surrounding the school are slightly less favourable than those found nationally although the proportion of pupils who take free school meals is well below average. The large majority of pupils are White British.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Callowell Primary School, 27 June 2007

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features. The school provides excellent care, guidance and support enabling pupils to improve their ability to be independent thinkers, to be excellent self-managers and to make exceptional contributions to making decisions on how the school should improve. Pupils achieve well. Attainment on entry is average and they make a good start in Reception, building effectively on this in Years 1 and 2. By the time they reach the end of Year 2, attainment in reading and mathematics is above the national averages and in writing it is in line. Although the large majority of pupils do well, not enough pupils, particularly boys, reach the higher levels of attainment in writing. Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 2 and by the end of Year 6, attainments in English, mathematics and science are above the national averages although there is some variation from year to year and writing still lags

p.4

Grade: 2

behind reading. The challenging targets the school sets itself are met and often exceeded. Pupils' personal development is excellent. They show a considerable amount of confidence when discussing their work and the school council members show an outstanding understanding of their responsibilities. During lessons, the pupils show excellent attitudes to work. This has been carefully nurtured by members of staff who promote a sense of responsibility amongst the pupils for the quality of their work. The wide range of sports clubs the school provides is extremely well attended. Pupils very much enjoy the opportunities the school provides for them in lessons and at break times and feel very safe around school. The pupils make an excellent contribution to the school community through the school council. They also contribute well to local community events as well as raising money to support communities around the world that

p.4

Grade: 2

are less fortunate than themselves. The quality of teaching and learning is good and the school provides an outstanding curriculum. The work done to improve standards in reading is also helping to improve pupils' writing skills. The teachers have very good relationships with their pupils and promote excellent opportunities for them to develop key life skills. There is good cross-curricular planning so that literacy and numeracy are taught effectively across other subjects. However, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to produce longer pieces of writing. There is also a very good range of extra-curricular activities and the school promotes an effective European dimension to the curriculum. The school makes good use of its grounds, with pupils in the Foundation Stage benefiting a great deal from the opportunity to learn outdoors. Leadership and management are good. The school is very well led by the headteacher

p.4

Grade: 2

who has a clear vision of where the school needs to go to make further improvements. She is very well supported by an able senior management team and governing body. Good self-evaluation systems are in place and the school knows itself very well.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Improve standards in writing, particularly for boys in Key Stage 1. • Improve the quality of teaching to ensure pupils have more opportunities to produce longer pieces of writing.

p.4

Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress and achieve well. From a broadly average attainment on entry the children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in all areas of learning so that the large majority achieve the levels expected by the end of the year and some exceed them. In Years 1 and 2, pupils continue to make good progress in reading and mathematics. In writing, boys do 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Callowell Primary School, 27 June 2007 not do as well as girls, although overall progress is satisfactory. By the end of Year 2, attainment in reading and mathematics is above the national averages, and in writing it is average. In Years 3 to 6, pupils make good progress in English, mathematics and science although progress in writing is not as strong as it is in reading. In Year 4, the work that has been done to increase pupils' confidence and ability in reading is also beginning to raise standards in writing. National

p.4

Grade: 2

data do, however, show that progress in Years 3 to 6 varies from year to year, ranging from satisfactory to excellent. This is also reflected in variations in attainment by the end of Year 6 in English, mathematics and science, which is above the national, averages overall but varies from in line to well above.

p.5

Grade: 1

The pupils' personal development and well-being and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are outstanding. Children in Reception make very good progress in their personal and social skills and older pupils build on this effectively by taking a great deal of responsibility for their own learning. They respond extremely well to opportunities they are given to organise themselves and work very effectively in groups and on their own. They are very confident in expressing their views to each other and to the whole class and are happy to give and accept helpful comments. They have a very good understanding of how to live healthy lives and are keen to ensure they eat a well balanced diet and take part in regular exercise. They feel very safe in school and agree that bullying is rare. Attendance is above the national average and the pupils very much enjoy all that the school offers. The school council is very effectively run

p.5

Grade: 1

by the pupils. The pupils are very aware of finances and know what they have in the budget, what they want to spend their money on and what they want to do next to raise further funds. All classes contribute well to what the council does through regular whole class suggestion box discussions. Pupils contribute very well to improvements around the school, to events in the local community and to supporting charities, for example by providing solar panels to an African village. The school's gym club has also raised money for charities supported by the local church.

p.5

Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning throughout the school is good. Teachers have very good relationships with the pupils and are keen to provide them with many opportunities to develop their personal, learning and thinking skills across all areas of the curriculum. Teachers work in teams to provide good quality plans for learning and have focused on the development of reading skills to enhance the pupils' ability to write. Teachers are also providing more creative opportunities for pupils to apply these skills, such as through the use of drama, which enhance pupils' vocabulary and writing skills. Although the impact of this improved teaching is not yet visible at the end of the key stages, pupils in Year 4 are beginning to make better progress in their writing skills. However, not enough opportunities are planned for pupils to complete longer pieces of writing. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Callowell Primary School, 27 June 2007

p.5

Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding. The school is very much focused on developing literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills and is increasing the opportunities for pupils to apply these skills across all areas of the curriculum. The school was awarded the Arts Mark award to recognise the school's extensive arts programme. The curriculum is designed to encourage the involvement of pupils in their learning and a particularly good example of this is in the Foundation Stage where children enjoy and become thoroughly immersed in their sessions in the forest area. The allotment, where pupils grow vegetables, is also a valuable learning resource for older pupils. The school plans a wide range of additional activities that broaden the pupils' understanding of the world through, for example, the links with Europe and Africa. There is also a strong emphasis on developing the pupils' personal, social and health

p.6

Grade: 1

education and this is reflected in the quality of the pupils' personal development. The school provides a very good range of additional activities, particularly for sport and the arts, which are very well attended by the pupils. There is also a regular residential visit organised, this year to the Isle of Wight

p.6

Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are excellent which results in the outstanding personal development of the pupils. The school meets all statutory requirements for child protection. There is a very strong focus on developing the pupils' health awareness and the school and pupils are working hard towards achieving the Healthy Schools award. The school ensures pupils are safe and provides talks on road safety and stranger danger. The school provides an excellent range of opportunities for pupils to contribute to the school and wider communities. The school plans excellent opportunities for pupils to enhance their personal development such as through the outside curriculum and school council processes. Assessment tracking systems are good and effective support is provided to those pupils who show early signs of progressing too slowly. This ensures that pupils make good overall progress.

p.6

Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has a very clear vision of how to improve the school and her enthusiasm to achieve this provides the incentive for staff and governors to become very much involved as members of the school improvement team. The school's self-evaluation systems are good and all are very aware of the school's strengths and weaknesses. This enables the school to continue to move forward at a good pace. Strategies are now in place to address the issues in writing. The governing body carries out its role as critical friend very well and members write regular reports on focused visits into school. The school development plan is sound. It highlights those areas that are in need of improvement but should have a more short-term focus. The school has very good links with the community, especially the local church, and has very good support from the parents. The budget is well

p.6

Grade: 2

managed and the school uses its available resources very well to ensure that it provides good value for money. The school has made good progress since the last inspection and is well placed to continue this in the future. This parent's view reflects the effectiveness of the school's 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Callowell Primary School, 27 June 2007 leadership and management: 'The headteacher has drive and determination with clear ideas about how she wishes her school to be organised. Teachers seem to be well informed about current trends and the management team is successful.' 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Callowell Primary School, 27 June 2007 .

p.6

Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Callowell Primary School, 27 June 2007

p.8

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

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 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Callowell Primary School, 27 June 2007

p.9

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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Callowell Primary School, 27 June 2007

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

29 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Callowell Primary School, Stroud GL5 4DG Thank you for the welcome you gave me on my recent visit to your school. Your school is a good school with some outstanding features. I was particularly impressed with your excellent attitudes to learning, your levels of independence and your ability to self-manage. This is an outstanding response to the excellent care, guidance and support the school provides for you. These are extremely good skills that will help you to do well in life generally. Your school council is doing a great job of helping the school to improve through the suggestions you give them and by supporting local and world communities. The money you have raised to buy solar panels for an African village is particularly special. You are making good progress in your English, mathematics and science skills because of the good quality of teaching that you receive. By the time you

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

leave school in Year 6, you have achieved well and reach standards well above national averages. You could do better in writing, particularly boys in Years 1 and 2, and I have asked the school to provide better opportunities for all of you to do longer pieces of writing. Your teachers are doing a good job and you all work very well together. They work hard to make lessons fun and you enjoy the work that you do. The curriculum you are given is excellent and I was very pleased to see that lots of you take good advantage of all the clubs that the school provides for you. The headteacher leads the school very well and she has built a good team of staff and governors who support her well. Together they make sure the school's finances are very well managed and make very good use of the monies available to them to provide you with very good opportunities to learn well. The school has developed very good links with the local community

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and is very well supported by your parents and carers. I wish you every success for the future. Yours sincerely Malcolm Greenhalgh Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Callowell Primary School, 27 June 2007

p.11