Amberley Parochial School

Amberley Parochial School Inspection report

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115689 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire Local Authority 290301 Inspection number 10 May 2007 Inspection date Clive Lewis 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 111 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Philip Duncan Chair Jo Woolley Headteacher 10 May 2007 Date of previous school inspection Amberley School address Stroud GL5 5JG

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01453 873349 Telephone number 01453 873615 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 10 May 2007 Inspection date 290301 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

Amberley is a smaller than average village school. A smaller than average number of pupils have learning difficulties and disabilities. No pupils are eligible for free school meals.

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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: Amberley Parochial School, 10 May 2007

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Grade: 2

Amberley is a happy school with a welcoming family atmosphere which meets the needs of all pupils well. As a result, pupils develop into self-assured young people who are well prepared for the next stage of their education. It is led and managed well and, as a result, the overall effectiveness of the school and the capacity for further improvement are good. Staff have a good understanding of what the school needs to do next to improve. Governors are very supportive of the school's work and are well aware of its strengths and areas for development. The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good and, as a result, pupils throughout the school achieve well. Children make good progress in the Reception year because of the good provision and by the end of Year 2 standards are well above the national average. Owing to the small year groups, there is some fluctuation year on year, but standards by the time

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Grade: 2

pupils leave the school at age 11 are, typically, well above average. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities receive good support which helps them to achieve well. The school places a high priority on safeguarding pupils' personal welfare and the care, guidance and support of pupils is good overall. However, tracking systems for science are very limited and some pupils lack understanding of what they need to do to improve. Parents are very supportive of the school ° summing up a common view, one parent commented: 'Amberley is a friendly and happy school and the children are taught to a high standard'. The very good relationships with staff and the wide range of interesting activities ensure that pupils really enjoy coming to school, as indicated by the well above average levels of attendance. They adopt safe, healthy lifestyles and behave exceptionally well. Their spiritual, moral, social and

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Grade: 2

cultural development is outstanding. These are key factors in the pupils' outstanding personal development and well-being. Pupils' lives are enriched well by the good curriculum and the excellent range of extra-curricular activities, although there are limited opportunities for independent investigative work in science. The school's self-evaluation is excellent and effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve assessment and tracking procedures and increase opportunities for pupils to develop their independent and investigative skills in science. • Improve the consistency throughout the school of pupils' understanding of how well they are doing and how they can improve their work.

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Grade: 2

Pupils reach standards that are well above the national average. Typically, children enter the school with better standards than expected for their age, with particular strengths in their communication and language development and social skills. They make good progress in their Reception year so that a majority are working at early National Curriculum levels before they start Year 1. They continue to make good progress and standards are well above the national average by the end of Year 2. Progress in Years 3 to 6 continues to be good. Although there has recently been some variation, by the end of Year 6, pupils typically reach standards that are well above the national average overall. In 2006, attainment was well above average in English and above average in mathematics and science. There are already indications of a further improvement. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Amberley Parochial School, 10 May 2007

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Grade: 1

Pupils have extremely positive views of their school, one pupil volunteering: 'I like everything about the school, people are really nice and you get a good education', and another saying: 'You learn something new every day'. As a result, attendance figures are outstanding. Pupils have excellent social skills and enjoy looking after each other. Year 6 'buddies' contribute significantly to supporting younger pupils at break and lunch times. Pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong and their very strong spiritual and cultural development results in a clear understanding of why discrimination may occur and how to tackle it. Behaviour is excellent both in lessons and around the school. Pupils are polite and show concern towards others. Pupils feel safe and know what to do if they are upset; they feel that the school deals very well with any friendship problems. They know that eating a balanced diet and taking

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Grade: 1

regular exercise is important in staying healthy. Pupils' high standards in literacy and numeracy, as well as their information and communication technology and team-working skills prepare them well for future stages in their learning.

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Grade: 2

Teachers have good subject knowledge and are ably supported by experienced and skilled teaching assistants who make a very effective contribution to the progress of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. Planning for lessons makes good use of resources to support learning, making the lesson content interesting and relevant. Lessons are well organised and managed and take full account of the mixed-age classes and wide range of ability in each class. Teachers and other adults have very good relationships with pupils and have high expectations of their behaviour and work, which help pupils to respond very well and make good progress. Teachers assess pupils' learning in English and mathematics very thoroughly and this information is used well to ensure that work builds consistently on what pupils already know. However, this is not the case in science where tracking of pupils' progress is at a very rudimentary stage.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is well designed to meet the needs of pupils, a particular strength being the breadth of experience provided. There is an appropriate emphasis on literacy and numeracy. However, the school is aware of the need to provide more opportunities to develop their investigative skills, particularly in science. Pupils enjoy the special event days and weeks, such as the recent Years 5 and 6 'Design and Technology Day And A Half'. Pupils also benefit from two hours of physical education per week. Good use is made of links with local schools, the expertise of staff, governors, parents and volunteers in enriching the curriculum; for example, all Year 2 to Year 6 pupils learn Spanish. An excellent range of clubs is much appreciated by pupils and contributes significantly to their personal development. The school is quite rightly working to build more links between subjects but this is still at an early stage in Years 3 to 6.

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Grade: 2

5 of 10 Inspection Report: Amberley Parochial School, 10 May 2007

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Grade: 2

Staff know all pupils very well and work hard with parents to help them achieve well. Procedures to ensure pupils' safety and well-being are thorough. Good provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities results in these pupils making good progress. Their individual educational plans are effective because targets are specific and short-term. The school responded quickly to parents' recent concerns about bullying, consulting with them and raising pupils' awareness. Pupils say they feel there is no bullying and if friendship upsets do occur the school sorts them out effectively and appropriately. Through the use of the whole-school assessment systems staff have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in pupils' achievements in English and mathematics. However, assessment of pupils' progress in science is at a very early stage of development. Marking is effective in suggesting ways for pupils to

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Grade: 2

improve their work. At present most pupils know their writing target and some can explain how well they are doing and their next learning step. However, this is not consistent across the school or across subjects.

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Grade: 2

Good leadership and management ensure that the school offers pupils a good education which enables them to achieve well. After an initial period of significant staff disruption the headteacher has successfully created a very positive and warm atmosphere in which all staff work together very well as an effective and enthusiastic team. Among the significant strengths of the school are its ability to respond very well to the needs of its community and the consistency of the excellent teamwork which ensures that all pupils succeed. The inclusion of all learners is central to the school's vision and it is very successful in overcoming barriers to learning so that all pupils learn as well as they can. The methods for evaluating the school's work are rigorous, resulting in effective decisions and meticulous improvements. The monitoring of teaching and learning and other areas of the school's work is rigorous, regular and shared,

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Grade: 2

and ensures that all pupils have access to the same good opportunities to learn and make progress. Governance is good and the governors use their clear understanding of the school effectively to check on how well it is doing and to support it in improving. They ensure that efficient use is made of resources and successfully promote the well-being of all pupils with outstanding regard for equality of opportunity. Good account is taken of the views of parents and other stakeholders and, as a result, most parents are very satisfied with the school and the great majority are effectively involved in helping their children achieve as well as they can. The school development plan accurately prioritises the important areas for development and progress towards targets is evaluated regularly and systematically. The school has a good capacity to improve further and provides good value for money. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Amberley Parochial School, 10 May 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: Amberley Parochial School, 10 May 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 1 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?

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

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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: Amberley Parochial School, 10 May 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: Amberley Parochial School, 10 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

14 May 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Amberley Parochial C of E Primary School, Amberley, Stroud, GL5 5JG I would like to thank you for your help during the recent inspection of your school. My colleague and I very much enjoyed our visit. Amberley is a good school. Your headteacher and staff care for you well and give you good support to enable you to learn and enjoy your lessons. They make sure that you are well taught and that you understand how to look after yourselves and keep safe and you do this very well. You told us that you like your school and there are lots of things to do and enjoy. We agree with you. Your behaviour is excellent and you work hard and try to succeed in all that you do. I have asked your school to do a few things to make it even better: • Give you all more chances to do your own investigations in science and keep track of how well you are doing. • Make sure that you always understand how well you are doing and what you can do to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

improve your work. I am confident that, with your help, the school will improve still further. I wish you well in your future education. Yours faithfully Clive Lewis Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Amberley Parochial School, 10 May 2007

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