St Andrew's Church of England Primary School

St Andrew's Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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115680 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire Local Authority 290298 Inspection number 14 March 2007 Inspection date Tom Simpson 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 Voluntary aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 97 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Sue Nash Chair Tina Buck Headteacher 6 February 2001 Date of previous school inspection School Lane School address Chedworth Cheltenham GL54 4AJ

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01285 720427 Telephone number 01285 720427 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 14 March 2007 Inspection date 290298 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a small primary school serving a socially diverse rural community. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average but the percentage with a statement of special educational needs is above average. Attainment on entry varies from year to year but is above average overall. Nearly all the pupils are from a White British background and none are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language.

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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: St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, 14 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which has a strong Christian ethos and a high level of care for its pupils. Consistently good teaching and learning mean that pupils achieve well and leave the school with academic standards that are well above average. The school has successfully addressed the small number of key issues raised by the last inspection. For example, the quality of provision for pupils in the Foundation Stage is now good and the governing body is now well involved in all aspects of school life. Several strategies have been put in place to raise standards even further and make learning even more relevant and exciting for the pupils. These, along with the commitment and enthusiasm of staff at all levels, mean that the school has a good capacity to continue to improve in the future. The school provides good care, guidance and support. The level of personal care is outstanding. Being a small school, the pupils are particularly well known to the staff. The school has a vision

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Grade: 2

of celebrating the pupils' successes and supporting the development of their self-esteem. This has a significant impact on the pupils' personal development, which is good. The pupils are well behaved, enthusiastic about the work they are given and keen to learn. They go out of their way to support charitable activities and their own community. Relationships at the school are very good at all levels. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. The school is very popular with parents and their children and several pupils spoke of how they travelled several miles to attend. One parent wrote: 'It has been a privilege for my daughter and son to have been educated at St Andrew's School.' Another commented: 'The teaching methods and numerous outings have sparked a love of learning in all my children.' The school provides a good and enriched curriculum which successfully provides for pupils' broader needs

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Grade: 2

as well as having an appropriate regard for the development of their basic skills. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are well provided for and most make good progress. Overall leadership and management at the school are good. The headteacher, staff and governors have a high level of commitment to all aspects of school life. They are very determined to maintain the good academic and personal standards at the school and are proactive in working to raise these even further. For example, they have recognised that some potentially higher attaining pupils in Years 3 to 6 are not doing as well as they could in mathematics and have introduced a number of measures to increase the challenge for these pupils. It is too early to judge the effectiveness of these measures.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the achievement of potentially higher attaining pupils in mathematics in Years 3 to 6.

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Grade: 2

Children get off to a good start when they enter the Reception class, and by the time they reach Year 1 they are effectively prepared to begin the national curriculum. As they move through the school, pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, continue to make good overall progress against their starting points. In 2006, Year 2 National Curriculum results were significantly above average overall with a particular strength in writing. The results of the Year 6 tests were also significantly above 4 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, 14 March 2007 average overall. In English and science they were exceptionally high. Although still above average, mathematics results were relatively weaker than those in the other two subjects. The school has recognised this and is taking appropriate action to raise standards in the subject, particularly in respect of the potentially higher attaining pupils. Examination of the school's

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Grade: 2

tracking system, as well as scrutiny of pupils' work and lesson observations, indicates that current standards continue to be significantly above average.

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Grade: 2

Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school and their attendance is above average. They say that they particularly like the sporting activities they are provided with and most find their lessons suitably challenging. They feel safe 'because it is a small school' with good security procedures. They told inspectors that 'it is a school where it is easy to make friends'. The pupils appreciate that the school is striving for 'Healthy School' status and have a good understanding of the need for physical exercise and healthy eating. They take full advantage of the frequent opportunities they have for physical exercise through 'Huff and Puff' initiatives, for example, and regularly drink water. Although there is no school council, pupils contribute their views informally and through questionnaires. They enjoy taking responsibility, as playground 'buddies', for instance, and by supporting the local ecology. Through a wide range of fund raising events,

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Grade: 2

they enthusiastically help those less fortunate than themselves. The pupils are polite and friendly and they behave well both in lessons and at play. They gain a good range of basic skills, which prepares them well for their future economic well-being. Although pupils explore the tenets of religions other than Christianity, they do not have enough opportunities overall to study non-European cultures.

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Grade: 2

Consistently good teaching and learning are having an effective impact on pupils' achievement throughout the school. A particularly strong feature of the teaching is the positive way in which the pupils are managed. As a result, relationships are very good at all levels and the pupils want to learn. Planning is detailed and the variety of methods employed by teachers adds interest to lessons and motivates the pupils well. Teachers share lesson objectives well with the pupils so that they are clear about what is expected of them. Questioning is generally open-ended and tasks are usually well matched to pupils' needs. However, in mathematics the potentially higher attaining pupils are not always given sufficiently challenging work. There are good systems in place for assessing and tracking pupils' progress.

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Grade: 2

In addition to having a good level of regard for pupils' basic skills, the curriculum provided caters well for their wider needs. For example, a good range of out of lesson activities such as visits and extra-curricular clubs provides well for their physical and creative development. Good links are made between the different subjects. These enhance the pupils' enjoyment in their learning. There are particular strengths in the school's provision for English and information and communication technology. The school is now beginning to introduce a more creative 5 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, 14 March 2007 approach to its provision for mathematics in order to raise standards in the subject even higher and make it more exciting for the pupils. During the inspection, for example, pupils planned and worked out the cost of a flight to a holiday island, making the lesson both interesting and

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Grade: 2

relevant. Good intervention programmes are in place to give pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities the support they need. The school, however, has not yet established a specific strategy for supporting pupils who are gifted and talented which means that these are not catered for as well as they could be.

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Grade: 2

The pastoral care for the pupils is exceptionally good and pupils know that there is always an adult they can turn to if they need support. This is an effective reflection of the school's strong Christian ethos. The school is highly committed to ensuring pupils' health and safety and has rigorous systems in place to achieve this. For example, effective procedures for child protection and safe staff recruitment are in place and there are good links with outside agencies to support vulnerable pupils. Good pastoral guidance supports pupils' personal development very well. There are also a number of effective strategies in place to support pupils' academic progress. However, the use of individual targets to guide pupils as to where they need to go next in their learning is still at an early stage of development and does not involve the pupils sufficiently to help them understand how to reach their targets.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides good leadership and direction and has a strong vision for improving the school's performance and raising standards even further. She is well supported by the other staff. Being a small school, individual teachers often take responsibility for the management of more than one subject. They do this with enthusiasm and commitment and have a good appreciation of the strengths and possible areas for development in the subjects that they are responsible for. They are proactive in supporting new initiatives for improvement, such as providing a more creative curriculum for mathematics. However, their role in monitoring teaching is not yet sufficiently regular for them to gain a full view of the provision for their subjects. The governing body is dedicated and very involved in the life of the school at all levels. Individual governors bring a wide range of skills to the role and are prepared to challenge the school when

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Grade: 2

they feel that this is necessary. Rigorous monitoring of provision by the headteacher, other staff and the governors effectively supports school self-evaluation and ensures that its developmental aspirations fully reflect its needs. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, 14 March 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: St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, 14 March 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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 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 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, 14 March 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: St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, 14 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making us so welcome at your school. We enjoyed meeting you and hearing about your work. You told us how much you like your school. We enjoyed our visit and now want to share with you what we thought about your school. We found that your school provides you with a good education and has many strengths. Here are some of the things we found to be particularly good: • You are well behaved and your personal development is good. For example, you are keen to learn and understand how to lead healthy lifestyles. You enjoy helping those who are less fortunate than yourselves. • You are well cared for, supported and guided by the adults at the school. • You are well taught and a good curriculum is provided for you. Your work is interesting and you have a good range of out of class activities. • The headteacher and staff are working hard to maintain the good academic standards you are reaching and to make the school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Here is the main thing we have suggested to make the school even better: • Make sure that you all achieve as well as you can in mathematics, especially if you are quick to learn. Thank you again for your help. With best wishes 10 of 10 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, 14 March 2007

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