St Egwin's CofE Middle School

Evesham, St Egwin's CofE Middle School Inspection report - amended

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116984 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire Local Authority 290693 Inspection number 20 °21 June 2007 Inspection dates Brian Cartwright HMI 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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Middle deemed secondary Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 10 °13 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 320 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Tony Davis Chair Jackie Armstrong Headteacher 29 April 2002 Date of previous school inspection Worcester Road School address Evesham WR11 4JU

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01386 446924 Telephone number 01386 761016 Fax number

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10-13 Age group 20 °21 June 2007 Inspection dates 290693 Inspection number

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Amended Report Addendum

Report amended due to administration error

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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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St Egwin's is a smaller than average middle school serving the north and west area of Evesham and nearby rural villages. Most pupils come from White British heritage backgrounds, with a few pupils with Eastern European, Asian, Black Caribbean and Traveller heritages. There is an average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Evesham, St Egwin's CofE Middle School, 20 °21 June 2007

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Grade: 3

St Egwin's is a satisfactory school providing a sound education for its pupils. The school uses a secondary curriculum model well and this is introduced to pupils as soon as they enter the school in Year 6. Because the curriculum is good, pupils rapidly become articulate, motivated and confident learners in a safe and supportive school. Pupils starting in Year 6 enjoy the rich new challenge of the wide range of subjects taught by specialist staff. The breadth of the subjects taught, together with the excitement of transfer to a new school, are reasons why pupils' personal development is good. Strong progress is made in personal skills from the start of Year 6. However, the breadth of the curriculum covered, rather than an intensive and more narrow focus on English, mathematics and science, accounts in part for pupils' relatively low results in the national tests taken at the end of Year 6. Fortunately, this early dip is fully offset

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Grade: 3

by the end of Year 8, when pupils reach all-round subject standards at least as high as expected. The breadth and depth of experience at St Egwin's prepares pupils to do well in further developing their academic and personal potential in the next stage of their education. A real strength of the school is the personal development and well-being of pupils. They enthusiastically enjoy their school experiences both in and out of classrooms. Thanks to a clear and 'fair' behaviour and rewards system, pupils are supported and rewarded for positive behaviour. The school monitors behaviour effectively and takes steps to help pupils falling short of expectations. As a result, behaviour is good around the school and grounds, between lessons despite cramped corridors, and in almost all lessons. The school council is active in helping to bring about change, both in the curriculum and social life of the school, which means

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Grade: 3

that pupils make a strong contribution to the school community. Teaching and learning are satisfactory, characterised by very good relationships between teachers and pupils and a delightful working ethos in classrooms that permits pupils to ask questions and explore lines of enquiry for themselves. Marking at its best informs pupils of what they should do to improve their performance, but this good practice is not consistently in place. Pupils have written targets, but these are often too general to be explicitly helpful at improving subject standards. While teachers take account of pupils' differing abilities in planning units of work, day-to-day assessment of individual pupils, including pupils' self-assessment, is not used fully to match tasks closely to pupils' learning needs in each lesson. Leadership and management are satisfactory, with good promotion of care for pupils and high standards. Since the previous inspection the headteacher and other senior leaders have

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Grade: 3

successfully resolved all of the issues except for the lower than expected Key Stage 2 results. Middle managers are satisfactorily involved in the monitoring and evaluation of provision in subjects. They have access to plenty of data on pupils' academic and personal development but this is not always in a form that clearly shows the standards they are working at or aiming for. Governors receive information from the school about its work, but in the form of complex 'progress' measures. The school improvement plan, though based on a realistic evaluation of areas requiring development, lacks measurable success criteria linked to pupils' performance.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure a consistent approach to marking and written targets that gives pupils clear guidance about how to improve their performance. ■ Ensure that day-to-day assessments, including pupils' self-assessments, are used fully to match lesson tasks to the individual pupils' prior knowledge and capability . 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Evesham, St Egwin's CofE Middle School, 20 °21 June 2007 ■ Ensure that staff and governors clearly know both the standards attained and the progress made by pupils throughout the school. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Achievement and standards are satisfactory overall. Standards on entry to the school in Year 6 are slightly above average and span the full range of abilities, according to Year 5 assessment data from first schools. After two terms of Year 6, pupils take national Key Stage 2 tests in English, mathematics and science. In 2006 these core subject test results were lower than the national average, but not exceptionally so. Compared to their performance when they completed Key Stage 1 (in Year 2 of first schools), this represents insufficient progress. However, the standards attained when pupils leave in Year 8 are securely above expectations, and those pupils go on to attain well above average standards a year later in their high school, when they sit national Key Stage 3 tests two terms later. The progress made by pupils is satisfactory, and pupils have additionally gained skills in a wide range of subjects that prepare them well for the

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Grade: 3

next stage of education. Standards attained by boys are significantly lower than those reached by girls, (according to Key Stage 2 tests), most noticeably amongst middle ability boys. Mathematics results at Key Stage 2 have been less strong than science and English, but the school has worked successfully to redress the underperformance of boys, particularly in mathematics, by the time they reach the end of Year 8. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities make good progress throughout the school.

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Grade: 2

The personal development of pupils is good. In combination with the good curriculum, pupils are well prepared for their future world of work and to lead healthy lifestyles. The school has worked successfully to deal with the unsatisfactory behaviour reported at the previous inspection through the consistent operation of a clear rewards and consequences policy. Pupils say that this is 'fair', and provides them with a secure framework on which to develop their own responsibilities. Pupils' behaviour is good around the school and in class, almost all of the time. Pupils are polite, friendly and very positive about their school. They enjoy school and are enthusiastic about accepting responsibility, for example in the Junior Sports Leaders award scheme. They feel safe, and a key consequence of their security is their confidence in asking questions in class. There is also high participation in school activities outside of the normal

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Grade: 2

school day. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good because of a rich range of formal teaching and informal extra-curricular opportunities including trips and visits, links with foreign schools, and a daily opportunity for reflection on the theme for the week. The effective school council enables pupils to influence school provision and help the school community, for example by making suggestions for the development of the curriculum. Attendance is good and has improved since the previous inspection. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Evesham, St Egwin's CofE Middle School, 20 °21 June 2007

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory, with a number of strong features. Most lessons are well planned with clear objectives and, where this happens, pupils understand the purpose of the lesson and what is expected of them. In the best lessons, enthusiastic teachers with good subject knowledge fully engage the pupils with activities delivered at a good pace. Here, knowledge and understanding are acquired quickly, behaviour is good, and some pupils show an exceptional ability to articulate strong, balanced arguments that demonstrates their capacity to attain high standards. However, in the weaker lessons, teachers do not always expect enough from their pupils, the pace is pedestrian and off-task behaviour can occur. Most teachers encourage pupils through good use of praise, and the rewards system is effective in motivating pupils to do well. Teachers have been making better use of assessment information

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Grade: 3

to set appropriate learning goals and to monitor progress more closely. This is insufficiently refined, however, to ensure that all pupils know how to improve their work in all their subjects. The quality and regularity of the marking of work varies considerably. Where marking is good it helps pupils to understand how well they have done and what is required to improve further, but good examples are uncommon. In too many cases, marking is superficial. Consequently, some lesson planning is insufficiently based on day-to-day assessment of pupils' learning needs and is not responsive enough to what pupils already know and can do. Some good examples of self-assessment by pupils exist which help teachers to recognise where pupils have reached with their learning but not all teachers draw well enough on such information. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are carefully monitored, are taught and supported well, and

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It has been constructed to meet both statutory requirements and the range of pupils' needs and capabilities. The school has put its philosophy of the importance of all subjects, not just English, mathematics and science, into practice and has specialist teaching for subjects such as history, geography, drama and design and technology throughout the school. There is good provision for the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT). There are also good opportunities for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities to progress well. Pupils are given good opportunities to develop skills to enhance their understanding of the world of work through visits to local businesses. There is a good programme of careers visits by people as varied as an orthopaedic surgeon and a poet. The school provides an impressive array of extra-curricular activities, most notably in sports,

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Grade: 2

and take up of these by pupils is high. This wide range of opportunities is greatly appreciated by pupils, and contributes significantly to their enjoyment of school, healthy lifestyles and personal responsibility.

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Grade: 2

Child protection procedures are in place. All adult staff receive training as mentors to pupils. The quality of care provided by the school for pupils is good. Staff know pupils well and are 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Evesham, St Egwin's CofE Middle School, 20 °21 June 2007 careful and considerate about their well-being. There are good links with feeder schools that help pupils settle in well in Year 6. Year 8 pupils are well prepared for, and confident about, their move to high school. Pupils say that bullying is taken very seriously. They say that it is a 'big deal' and the school deals effectively with any instances of unkindness. The school works closely and effectively with a range of external agencies to support the welfare of pupils, especially those with learning or behaviour difficulties. Pupils from Traveller communities are also well supported. The interim report system monitors pupils' attendance, behaviour, effort and relative progress

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Grade: 2

but does not link closely enough to standards. The data is used to guide intervention and support for pupils who are falling short but inconsistent use is being made of individual targets to help pupils to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. Since the previous inspection the headteacher and her team have successfully resolved all of the issues except for the continuing lower than expected results in Key Stage 2. The school has a satisfactory capacity to improve. Governors have supported the strategic aim of providing a subject-specialist secondary curriculum from the start of Year 6, and the senior leadership team has stayed true to this vision. As a result of this good direction, the school continues to improve, and deliver youngsters personally well prepared for their subsequent education despite the dip in Year 6 tests. Governors have a reasonable understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. The school is accurate in its monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning although it has provided quite complex data in its attempts to show the progress pupils make. This data is not easily

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Grade: 3

understood by all staff and governors. Most parents are completely satisfied with their children's experience at school and positive about the benefits to their children's development. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are in place. Financial management is satisfactory and the school has been authorised by the local authority to use its high budget surplus for building a much-needed sports hall. Governors have responded to the need for recruiting and retaining specialist staff by modifying pay policy. The school improvement plan identifies pertinent features. However it does not yet assign pupil performance outcomes to the measures that would help in evaluating the effectiveness of action for improvement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Evesham, St Egwin's CofE Middle School, 20 °21 June 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Evesham, St Egwin's CofE Middle School, 20 °21 June 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? 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? 3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Evesham, St Egwin's CofE Middle School, 20 °21 June 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Evesham, St Egwin's CofE Middle School, 20 °21 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

22 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Egwin's C of E VC Middle School, Evesham, WR11 4JU Thank you for the lively, friendly and helpful conversations we had with many of you during our recent inspection of your school. We were impressed by how confident, clear and loyal you are to your school. The school is providing you with a sound education through a good curriculum that ensures you are making satisfactory progress. We know you enjoy an impressive range of extra activities. Staff work hard to make sure you succeed and enjoy life at school. Thanks to their consistently good care and support you are developing good personal skills and are well prepared for your next steps in education. Your involvement in school life is making a positive difference, and your views not only get listened to, but acted upon, thanks to a great school council. You have shown commendably good behaviour despite the disruption to the school as it builds

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

a new sports hall. The school has good information about the quality of your learning and your personal development. In many cases, teachers mark your work with clear advice on what you need to do next, but this is not always so. There is room for the school to get better at planning lessons to build upon what each of you already knows and can do, and to involve you in more self-assessment that helps to inform your teachers. The interim report system, which is a great way to keep you and your parents informed, would be better if it showed the standards you had reached on your journey to your ultimate academic targets. We wish you well in your future. Yours faithfully Brian Cartwright Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Evesham, St Egwin's CofE Middle School, 20 °21 June 2007

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