Four Marks Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Four Marks Church of England Primary School

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116288 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 290485 Inspection number 5 °6 March 2007 Inspection dates Natalia Power 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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Five Lanes End School address Primary Type of school Four Marks Voluntary controlled School category Alton GU34 5AS 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01962 772200 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01962 773648 Fax number 289 Number on roll (school) Mr Phil Dickinson Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Lynda Frith Headteacher 2 July 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290485 5 °6 March 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Four Marks Church of England Primary School is larger than average. It is sited in a rural location. Pupils come to the school from varied backgrounds, but most are white British. More pupils than average are identified as having learning difficulties and disabilities. Fewer pupils than average are entitled to free school meals. Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes for the most part.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Four Marks Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Grade: 3

Four Marks Church of England Primary School provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. The ethos of the school is warm and supportive, not just of pupils but of teachers and learning support assistants, all of whom are valued. Consequently they work as a team and repay the school's trust in them. Although pupils' progress is satisfactory overall, some make good progress particularly those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Measures introduced to raise the achievement of all pupils have not yet worked through to an improvement in standards. Most parents are satisfied with the education provided by the school, though a small minority have concerns with the progress and behaviour of pupils. Parents commented on the overall supportiveness of the school and found, as one wrote, and;quot;the head and other staff are very helpful and effective in dealing with problems and also very encouraging of children's ideasand;quot;.

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Grade: 3

Teachers' and learning support assistants' ideas are valued and acted on. Central to the school's success in dealing with pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is the support and focus provided by the team of learning support assistants who cater effectively for pupils' emotional and learning needs. Pupils begin school with higher than expected skills and go on to make broadly satisfactory progress, leaving school with higher than average standards in the national assessments taken at the end of Year 6. Pupils make a good start in the Foundation Stage, which provides children with a good education overall. By the end of Year 2, however, standards have dropped. Measures taken to improve standards at the end of Year 2 are proving successful, but have not yet had time to make a sufficient impact on national assessments. Pupils gain a great deal from school, especially from the very wide range of activities on offer both inside and outside the classroom. The school

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Grade: 3

fosters their personal development well. Pupils feel safe and cared for, and know whom to turn to in case of need. In turn, they respond by behaving well in general, though, when all pupils share the playground, some are less considerate towards younger children. Teaching and learning are satisfactory with some good features. Pupils' work is carefully marked and their progress is well monitored. Most older pupils are aware of how well they are doing. The school acknowledges that it needs to ensure that activities challenge pupils sufficiently and are matched to what pupils need to learn next. Measures to raise expectations of the higher-ability pupils have not yet had time to make a real impact. Homework set is not always well targeted to the individual child, and this is an area that a number of parents would like addressed. All leaders and managers clearly show that they want to do the best for each child.

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Grade: 3

Initiatives and measures to improve the school are welcomed by the headteacher. However, the school's self-evaluation is not sufficiently critical and does not make as its focus a relentless drive to improve standards. The governing body shares the school's general aim to improve. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory overall, though middle managers are good. Measures to improve the school such as 2 Inspection Report: Four Marks Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007 encouraging initiative in middle management and the effective use of information and communication technology (ICT), show satisfactory capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise achievement and standards by making sure that activities match what pupils need to learn next and are sufficiently challenging. • Improve the development planning of the school so that it focuses more systematically on raising pupils' achievements and standards.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory overall. Pupils begin and leave school with standards which are above average. Children start school with language skills above those expected for their age and make good initial progress in the Foundation Stage. By the end of Year 2, however, overall standards are below average. The fall is most marked in writing and reading. Pupils catch up and make satisfactory progress in Years 3 to 6 in English and mathematics. Progress in science is good, particularly for the most able. The large number of pupils identified as having learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress and achieve in line with others. There is no significant difference in the progress made by girls and boys. Higher-attaining pupils do not always achieve as well as they should, because they are given insufficient challenge. Measures by the school to raise the standards of these pupils are in place, but have not yet had time to make

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being, and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good. Pupils enjoy school, as demonstrated in lessons and in the outstanding clubs and extra activities. Pupils are friendly, polite and well-behaved in class but are less considerate at play. They told inspectors they like coming to school because 'teachers are kind and interested in each of us'. They are given opportunities to take responsibility. For example, each new pupil has a 'buddy' and those who joined the school later commented how effective this was and how their 'buddy' became a close friend. Attendance is above the national average. Pupils make a good contribution to the local community through their involvement in church and village activities. Discussions with pupils show they have good understanding of healthy lifestyles and make healthy choices at lunchtimes. Pupils understand how to stay safe and, when

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Grade: 2

any bullying occurs, it is quickly resolved. Pupils' positive attitudes and developing values prepare them effectively for secondary school and their future economic well-being. 3 Inspection Report: Four Marks Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory with some good features. In the best lessons pupils are encouraged to concentrate and try hard so that they learn well. In other lessons they are insufficiently challenged. Lessons often have a good introduction, so that pupils know what they are going to learn. Teachers use questioning well, but in some lessons pupils are not required to answer questions in sufficient detail to extend their understanding. ICT is being used far more effectively to improve learning than at the time of the last inspection. Homework does not always ensure that pupils consolidate their learning effectively. When classes are split into groups, working with a range of adults, pupils often make good progress because the work is more accurately matched to their needs. Pupils benefit from good support and encouragement provided by teaching assistants. Some parents are able to visit and further extend the support.

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Grade: 2

The wide and varied curriculum includes very good support from specialist sports coaches and well-trained learning support assistants. The curriculum takes into account the needs and abilities of many pupils. Its provision for higher-attaining pupils is being improved. Specialist provision for pupils with learning difficulties is particularly good, and effective measures to develop the curriculum for gifted and talented pupils have been put in place. The programme for personal, health, social and citizenship education is well thought out and makes a significant contribution to pupils' personal development and safety. The curriculum is enhanced by an excellent range of extra-curricular activities, including residential trips and early morning and lunch time clubs, and pupils' participation in these is high. Pupils have very good opportunities to make contributions to both the school and the local community.

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Grade: 2

Teachers are committed to the pupils, and provide good care, academic guidance and support for them. Pupils know their needs and feelings are important to the school and that teachers respect and look after them well. The school is a safe and friendly environment and pupils form good relationships. Pupils are set helpful targets to encourage them to improve their work. These also help staff to provide good support wherever necessary. Effective procedures for child protection and safety are in place. The needs of vulnerable pupils are clearly understood. Pupils understand how to stay safe and 4 Inspection Report: Four Marks Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007 procedures are robust. The school works well with outside agencies to ensure that all pupils receive suitable support. Although some commented that communication could be improved, parents are kept well informed through frequent newsletters.

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Grade: 3

The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The school runs well from day to day. The strength of the headteacher's leadership lies principally in the support and encouragement she provides to all staff to enable them to play a full part in the smooth running of the school. This has created a common sense of purpose among staff to take responsibility for the management of the school. For instance, it has also enabled learning assistants to take on the effective management of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. Middle managers show strong leadership. At present the senior leadership does not provide a sufficiently strong and focused drive to build on existing good practice and raise standards for all pupils. The quality of the school's self-evaluation does not sufficiently prioritise where improvement should be most effectively targeted. The governing body is supportive of the school, and measures

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Grade: 3

to act as a critical friend have been put in place. The school works in effective partnership with parents and outside organisations to support its work. 5 Inspection Report: Four Marks Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 March 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: Four Marks Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 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 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? 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 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. 7 Inspection Report: Four Marks Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 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? 8 Inspection Report: Four Marks Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming us to your school and for being so polite and friendly. We enjoyed hearing how much you like your school and what you do to make it an even better place, such as becoming 'buddies' to new pupils. Your school gives you a satisfactory education. It looks after you well and gives you many opportunities to take part in exciting activities. You told us that you feel safe at school, and like being with the teachers and assistants. You enjoy your lessons and sports. You are usually kind to others and well-behaved, especially in lessons. Do remember to be considerate of other children in the playground, too. We have asked the adults to make sure that each of you does as well as you possibly can, right through school. To help you to do this, we have asked them to make sure they set you work that is challenging, particularly for those of you who often find work quite easy. All the adults

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

in the school need to make sure they plan carefully to enable this to happen. With very best wishes for the future from all of us. Dr Natalia Power Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Four Marks Church of England Primary School, 5 °6 March 2007

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