Overbury CofE First School

Inspection Report - Amended Overbury CofE First School

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116837 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire Local Authority 290653 Inspection number 28 February 2007 Inspection date Jacqueline Marshall 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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Overbury School address First Type of school Tewkesbury Community School category GL20 7NT 4 °10 Age range of pupils 01386 725235 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01386 725235 Fax number 52 Number on roll (school) Sue Shorrock Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Pernilla Pascolutti Headteacher 19 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 290653 28 February 2007 4 °10

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Amended Report Addendum

Report amended due to factual inaccuracy

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Amended Report Addendum

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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Amended Report Addendum

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 first school serving a rural village community with close ties to the village, estate and local church. The mainly White British pupils come from a wide range of village backgrounds and numbers are steadily rising. Attainment on entry to the school is broadly in line with what is expected nationally, though with small numbers in each year group this can vary year on year. The school has a greater-than-average number of pupils who join or leave the school during their school career. The percentage of pupils in the school with learning difficulties and disabilities is above average and in some year groups includes over half the pupils. A very small number of pupils have English as an additional language. The headteacher took up her post in September.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Overbury CofE First School, 28 February 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school, with outstanding features. The overwhelming majority of parents agree, praising the school's 'very friendly' atmosphere. Excellent relationships with all staff and the extremely wide range of interesting activities provided mean children really enjoy school and develop extremely well as individuals. The level of care provided is outstanding and greatly appreciated by both pupils and parents. One parent commented that the school 'brings out the best in children, both in their desire to learn and their attitudes and behaviour'. This, alongside the school's priority of ensuring all children settle quickly into the school, whenever they join, is a key feature in the pupils' extremely positive attitudes to learning and their outstanding personal development. Trends over recent years show that standards reached by pupils are well above expectations by the time they leave school at ten. Children get off to a good start in

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Grade: 2

the Reception year as a result of the good learning opportunities planned for children in the well-resourced learning environment. The Foundation Stage leader places considerable emphasis on developing children's personal and social skills. As a result, children make good progress and generally start Year 1 in line with expectations for other children of their age, and exceed them in their personal development. Throughout the school, all pupils continue to achieve well and make good progress because teaching is good. The school provides a well-planned and extremely well-enriched curriculum. In writing, whilst pupils achieve well, standards across the school are less high than in reading and mathematics. Pupils know they have targets and are extremely keen to be involved in their own learning. However, teachers sometimes miss opportunities, particularly in writing, to share with pupils just what they need to do next to get better.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, governors and other leaders have quickly established an effective team that has a clear understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. They know what needs to be done next to refine the checks on pupils' progress to better inform planning and raise achievement even further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in writing by ensuring pupils always know exactly what they need to do next to improve. • Raise achievement by making better use of assessment to check pupils' progress and target learning in lessons even more effectively.

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Grade: 2

The achievement of all groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, is good. Pupils reach standards which are well above national expectations 2 Inspection Report: Overbury CofE First School, 28 February 2007 by the time they leave at ten. Children's skills and knowledge as they start in the Reception class are generally in line with national expectations, though this can vary from year to year. Because of the wide range of first-hand learning opportunities that are planned and the high priority placed on developing children's social and emotional skills, progress is good. Consequently, children usually start Year 1 with levels in line with those expected nationally, and above in their personal development. Pupils continue to make good progress in Years 1 and 2 from their varied starting points, with Year 2 pupils in 2006 reaching exceptionally high standards in national tests. By

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Grade: 2

the end of Year 5, pupils continue to achieve well and reach standards well above expectations in English, mathematics and science as a result of good teaching and a well-planned curriculum. Whilst standards in writing remain high when compared to those nationally, they are less strong than in other areas.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary both in lessons and around the school. They have very positive attitudes to learning and show genuine concern for each other. Attendance is above average. Pupils respond very well to their responsibilities. They get on extremely well and help one another, as demonstrated by their readiness to welcome new pupils to the school. Pupils told inspectors, 'It's a friendly school and we all get along together'. Pupils make an extremely strong contribution to the school community, for example, through the school council. Here, they raise questions and ideas important to them which make a real impact, such as the recent improvements to their toilets. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very strong and is another key factor in their excellent behaviour and positive relationships. Close links with the church and local community enable pupils to build on this further. A good foundation

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Grade: 1

for pupils' future economic well-being is provided by ensuring pupils achieve well in their basic skills as well as encouraging a range of fundraising activities and developing their skills as independent learners.

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Grade: 2

Excellent relationships with all staff and the interesting activities teachers plan ensure pupils behave extremely well and really enjoy lessons. Teachers are good at asking questions that encourage pupils to think about their learning. As a result, pupils demonstrate their understanding of new ideas and give reasons for their answers. Pupils value each other's contributions and speak extremely confidently to visitors and in lessons. Teaching assistants support learning effectively, whether it is within the classrooms or in small groups, because they are well skilled and work closely with teachers to plan their work. 3 Inspection Report: Overbury CofE First School, 28 February 2007 Teachers are good at planning work to meet all pupils' needs across a wide range of ages and abilities. Teachers are effective in making sure pupils know exactly what they are learning in lessons and increasingly using individual targets to help pupils know

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Grade: 2

just what to do to improve. Where teachers' marking is most effective, clear links are made to pupils' learning and their targets that stretch pupils further. These aspects are not quite so well developed in relation to pupils' writing. Ensuring consistent practise in setting individual targets and teachers' marking is a current priority for the school.

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Grade: 2

Themed weeks including language and multicultural arts weeks, French lessons, visits, visitors and a wealth of other activities ensure pupils' learning is vibrant and exciting. Pupils talk with real enthusiasm about their music and the Forest School, all of which play a significant part in their extremely good attitudes. A very well-planned programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education helps to promote their good understanding of how to keep healthy and their excellent personal development. The curriculum develops pupils' basic skills well whilst ensuring that other subjects, such as physical education and history, have a high priority. Opportunities to reinforce and extend pupils' writing, including their handwriting and secretarial skills, are a priority and the school is working hard to make further improvements. A strong emphasis is placed on learning through first-hand practical experiences in the Reception

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Grade: 2

class, well supported by the outdoor area.

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Grade: 2

The school's pastoral care for its pupils is outstanding. Child protection and health and safety procedures are extremely well understood by all. Any pupils who are at risk are very quickly identified and supported effectively. Pupils say that they feel exceptionally safe and know exactly who to turn to if necessary. Support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and for those who are gifted and talented, including involvement of parents, is good. Academic guidance and support is good. The school has developed effective procedures which enable it to check pupils' progress from year to year in subjects such as history and physical education as well as English and mathematics. More recently introduced systems are beginning to allow staff to track pupils' progress more closely through the year and target pupils' learning more effectively when planning lessons.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management have successfully maintained and built upon the school's overall effectiveness since the last inspection, demonstrating a good capacity to 4 Inspection Report: Overbury CofE First School, 28 February 2007 improve. The new headteacher has very quickly fostered a culture of teamwork within the school and with parents. She has a clear vision which is shared by staff and governors of a school that is striving to improve but where every child matters. Leaders analyse data and monitor teaching to see where it is best and what needs to be improved. They take actions to address any weaknesses. Recent improvements in this process are already beginning to ensure even greater consistency of practice. Leaders are aware of the need to refine these systems and checks to raise achievement and the quality of provision further. Consequently, leaders have a good understanding of the school's overall effectiveness and know what is needed to take the school forward.

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Grade: 2

The school has good links with the community. It takes into account the views of parents and other stakeholders. As a result, the vast majority of stakeholders respond very positively about the effectiveness of their school. 5 Inspection Report: Overbury CofE First School, 28 February 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Overbury CofE First School, 28 February 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Overbury CofE First School, 28 February 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: Overbury CofE First School, 28 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for talking to us and showing us your work when we visited your school. We are pleased to hear that you really like school and that the grown-ups are kind and look after you extremely well. We think that they are particularly good at helping you to know what you have to do to keep safe. They encourage you to take part in the decisions that help make your school a better place. We were happy to hear that you are really keen and proud to be so involved in what goes on in your school and how you can improve it. We agree with you that your teachers plan lots of exciting things for you, such as music, French, all sorts of sports and your Forest School lessons. It was great to see you all so interested in what you were learning during Japan Day as part of your languages week. We think you are especially polite to adults and to each other and behave really well around school. You make everyone in your school feel tremendously welcome.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Overbury is a good school. In order to make your learning even better we have asked the adults at your school to: • make sure that teachers are always helping you to know what you need to do to improve your work, especially in your writing • make sure you are always given lots of opportunities that stretch you to do your very best. Thank you again for helping us with our work. 9 Inspection Report: Overbury CofE First School, 28 February 2007

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