Lindridge St Lawrence CE Primary School

Inspection Report Lindridge St Lawrence's CofE Primary

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116895 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire Local Authority 290672 Inspection number 16 November 2006 Inspection date Gerald Griffin 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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Lindridge School address Primary Type of school Tenbury Wells Voluntary aided School category WR15 8JQ 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01584 881466 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01584 881466 Fax number 89 Number on roll (school) John Inge Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Sue Warner Headteacher 17 September 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 290672 16 November 2006 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a small, rural primary school with four mixed-age classes. Most pupils are of White British heritage. Children enter the school with skills and experiences that are broadly at the levels expected for their age. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is above average. A new headteacher has been in post since September 2006.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Lindridge St Lawrence's CofE Primary, 16 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Lindridge is a good school. Standards are above average and pupils' achievement is good. Children make good progress in the Reception Year and by the time they start Year 1 all reach the expected goals and a minority exceed them. Good progress continues in Years 1 and 2 but it is more variable in Years 3 to 6. Here, pupils make good progress in English and science. Progress in mathematics is not consistently good because pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise solving mathematical problems. Teaching is good. Classes are very orderly and relationships are very positive. As a result, pupils' behaviour is outstanding and they are keen to learn. Occasionally the pace of learning slows because teachers do not take sufficient account of assessment information to plan work that is closely matched to pupils' needs. This results in pupils working at levels that are sometimes too easy or too hard.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is outstanding and thrives in the school's happy atmosphere. Pupils really enjoy school. The school's strong Christian principles provide for good spiritual development. Pupils have an outstanding understanding of the need to be healthy and do everything they can to put this into practice in their choice of food and through taking exercise. The curriculum is good and promotes pupils' enjoyment of school through activities such as popular sports clubs and regular visits to places of interest. Pupils talk with real enthusiasm about the good opportunities to learn to play a musical instrument and performing in the school band. Care, guidance and support are good. Parents are very happy with the quality of care the school provides. Typically they say, 'The teachers are approachable and supportive and my child is very happy at school.' The guidance and support given to pupils with

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Grade: 2

learning difficulties are good and ensure that they progress well. The academic targets that the school set for pupils are high and the procedures to check pupils' progress towards meeting them are generally good. Leadership and management are good. This has ensured that standards and achievement have risen over the past years. Rigorous self-evaluation ensures the school has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. These effective procedures stem from the detailed checking of the school's performance by senior management. Weaknesses, such as the quality of pupils' writing, have been effectively rectified and standards in English have risen. The newly appointed headteacher has accurately identified the key areas for action. Improvements since the last inspection and the recent record of improvement show the school has good capacity to make further gains.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve opportunities for pupils to practise their problem solving skills in mathematics. • Sharpen teachers' use of assessment information to make sure that pupils are given work at the right level. 2 Inspection Report: Lindridge St Lawrence's CofE Primary, 16 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Standards are above average by the time pupils leave school and achievement is good for all groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties. These standards were reflected in the 2006 national test results and the school met its targets. Provision and progress are good in the Reception Year and all children reach the expected standards for their age and some exceed them in communication, language and literacy and personal development. Standards have risen in English because the school's drive to improve pupils' handwriting, spelling and sentence construction has been successful. Pupils' good practical and observational skills are the foundation for above average standards in science. Standards in mathematics are a little below those in English and science because pupils' skills of using their knowledge of number in investigations are relatively weak. Insufficient time is provided for older pupils to improve these skills and this

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Grade: 2

means their progress in mathematics in Years 3 to 6 is not as consistently good as it is in other areas of work.

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Grade: 1

Children settle well in the Reception Year and are confident and keen to share their experiences. By the time they start in Year 1, they work and play well together. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and is supported well by the school's strong Christian tradition. Pupils respect and value each other and the world around them. While pupils' appreciation of their place in a multicultural society is good, their understanding of other religions is satisfactory. Pupils' outstanding behaviour comes from a very clear understanding of right and wrong. They are very polite to each other and to adults. Pupils report that there is no bullying and that they feel safe and secure. They are confident that they can approach a member of staff if they have a worry, knowing their concerns will be quickly and effectively dealt with. Pupils have an outstanding understanding of the need to maintain healthy lifestyles and do their best to keep fit

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Grade: 1

through taking regular exercise. They are clear about the pitfalls of a poor diet and choose a healthy lunch. They talk proudly about their charity work, the responsibilities they take on and the role of the 'Eco Council', all of which are developing their good sense of community. Above average standards and pupils' skilful use of computers ensure good preparation for their future economic well-being. 3 Inspection Report: Lindridge St Lawrence's CofE Primary, 16 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Teaching in the Reception class is good and children receive a sound start to their school life and make good progress. Teachers make effective use of assessments to plan work that meets the needs of all children. In Years 1 to 6 the teaching is characterised by challenging targets, clear explanations, probing questioning and generally demanding tasks. Teachers manage the learning of mixed age classes well and provide interesting work that holds pupils' attention. Good marking provides pupils with clear pointers for improvement. These features ensure pupils' learning is good. Occasionally, teachers' plans do not take full account of test results to ensure work is matched to pupils' needs. As a result, some pupils are given work that is too easy while others find the tasks too difficult and this hinders their rate of progress.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum in Reception is good, with an appropriate balance of adult-led and child-led activities. 'Circle time' and 'Forest School' are used well to develop children's personal development. The lack of a secure outdoor learning area restricts children's development of independence in moving in and out of the classroom. The curriculum's good support of pupils' personal development continues in Years 1 to 6. Strong links with the local church help develop pupils' strong moral sense and their very good behaviour. Good provision for music and the arts contributes to pupils' good cultural development. Popular sports clubs, swimming and physical education lessons, some taught by specialists from the local high school, support pupils good efforts to keep fit. Regular visits to places of interest extend pupils' interests and raise their aspirations. However, insufficient time is allocated for pupils to use their

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Grade: 2

mathematics knowledge to answer complex questions and solve mathematical problems.

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Grade: 2

Sensitive support and care are provided for pupils with learning difficulties. This enables these pupils to participate fully in lessons and make good progress. The school is making effective use of external agencies and specialists to promote the welfare of individual children when the need arises. Child protection procedures and health and safety arrangements are robust. The school is using effective measures, including supporting families, to maintain above average attendance. Pupils are set challenging targets. The procedures to check pupils' progress have improved and ensure that pupils not making sufficient progress are given extra help. 4 Inspection Report: Lindridge St Lawrence's CofE Primary, 16 November 2006

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Grade: 2

The good leadership and management have ensured that pupils' standards have risen over the past year, especially in English. High expectations for pupils' academic and personal development are communicated effectively to staff so that everyone strives hard to make sure that all pupils do their very best. The school's clear view of its strengths and areas for development stems from the rigorous checking of the school's performance by senior managers. Weaknesses have been tackled well. For example, standards in information and communication technology (ICT) have risen because of well judged action taken to improve pupils' access to computers and software. Strategic planning identifies the right priorities for attention and the school is well placed to get even better. The recently appointed headteacher has made a good start. She has accurately identified the need to improve aspects of mathematics and the teachers' use of

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Grade: 2

assessment information to make sure that all pupils are working to their maximum. Effective subject leaders provide her with good support. Governors are well informed through good day-to-day involvement in the school's work. Their good understanding of data enables them to effectively support and challenge the school on its performance. 5 Inspection Report: Lindridge St Lawrence's CofE Primary, 16 November 2006 .

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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: Lindridge St Lawrence's CofE Primary, 16 November 2006

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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 1 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 1 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: Lindridge St Lawrence's CofE Primary, 16 November 2006

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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: Lindridge St Lawrence's CofE Primary, 16 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming us to your school and being so friendly. You clearly enjoy being in a school in which you all get on so well and help each other. We enjoyed our conversations with you about your work and the other things that you do at school. The school provides you with a good education. Here are some of the 'highlights' • You really enjoy your learning and work hard in your lessons. • Your behaviour is outstanding. • You have a very interesting range of clubs which most of you attend. • All the staff care for you very well. • The youngest children settle well into Reception, and you make good progress as you move up the school so that you reach good standards by the end of Year 6. • The school is well led and managed. What we have asked your school to do now • Improve your mathematics by making sure you have more practice at problem solving. • Make sure that in lessons you all have work that always stretches you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Best wishes for your future and the future of the school. 9 Inspection Report: Lindridge St Lawrence's CofE Primary, 16 November 2006

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