Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection Report Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

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121147 Unique Reference Number NORFOLK Local Authority 292032 Inspection number 21 °22 September 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Colin Henderson 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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Wheel Road School address Primary Type of school Alpington, Alpington Voluntary aided School category Norwich, Norfolk NR14 7NH 4 °11 Age range of pupils

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01508 492700 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01508 494386 Fax number 98 Number on roll (school) Mr. Neil Henery Headteacher The local authority Appropriate authority 5 March 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292032 21 °22 September 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. Inspection Report: Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 21 °22 September 2006

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

Most children come from the local villages. They are from a wide range of social backgrounds and all speak English as their first language. There are fewer pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities or who are eligible for free school meals than in many other schools of this size.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 21 °22 September 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. It is led effectively by an influential headteacher. He has developed a strong team of staff and governors who have an accurate view of how well the school is doing. They work closely with parents, pupils and the local community to provide a happy, caring and purposeful learning atmosphere in which pupils feel valued and greatly enjoy the good range of interesting learning activities. The school is valued highly by pupils and parents. This was reflected by the many positive comments - including 'The high standards of work and the happiness of my children at school say it all!' and 'The teachers genuinely care about and empower the children'. Children settle quickly and happily into Class 1 as a result of the high quality individual care. They enjoy the friendship and support offered by older pupils. Reception year children make good progress, benefiting from good

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Grade: 2

teaching and well-organised and interesting learning activities. Pupils' achievement is good throughout the school, mainly as a result of good, and occasionally outstanding, teaching and the enjoyable curriculum. Pupils attain standards that are above average, especially in reading, although their writing skills do not match the standards attained in other key areas. Teachers plan activities carefully to meet pupils' different learning needs and use resources imaginatively to grasp their interest. Pupils' enjoyment is enhanced by a good range of extra-curricular clubs, particularly sporting activities. This gives them a clear understanding of the importance of safe and healthy lifestyles. Pupils' key skills are taught well, although there are too few opportunities for them to extend their writing in a broad range of subjects. Pupils' personal development is good and given high priority. This is clearly reflected in their enjoyment of school,

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Grade: 2

their good behaviour and the very good relationships. The school promotes its Christian values very successfully to help pupils' social and moral development. Pupils take on responsibilities willingly and contribute successfully to improving the school community, for example, through the influential school council. Overall standards of care, guidance and support are good. The personal care given to pupils is outstanding. Staff ensure that pupils are happy, secure and ready to learn and this contributes significantly to their achievement. There are good systems for tracking pupils' progress carefully and identifying what needs improving. Teachers use this information successfully to inform their teaching. Teachers are beginning to use individual and group targets to guide pupils on how to improve their work, for example, in writing, although these are not yet developed sufficiently to promote consistently higher standards. The good

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Grade: 2

leadership of the headteacher is a key factor in the school's success. He gives a purposeful direction to the work of the school and has established strong teamwork. Working closely with his deputy, governors and other staff, he has developed good procedures for checking on how well the school is doing. These are used successfully to raise standards and to focus resources efficiently on key priorities for improvement. The headteacher and his deputy check on the performance of other staff by observing some lessons, although the contribution of subject leaders in checking how teaching promotes pupils' learning is under development. 2 Inspection Report: Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 21 °22 September 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

- Raise standards in writing by using pupil improvement targets consistently and by providing more opportunities for pupils to use their writing skills in subjects other than English. - Improve the contribution of subject leaders in evaluating and improving pupils' learning.

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Grade: 2

The attainment of children entering the Reception year is generally average, although it varies considerably from year to year. They achieve well in all areas of learning and attain nationally expected levels by the time they enter Year 1. Pupils continue to make good progress in Years 1 to 6, because effective, lively teaching encourages an enthusiasm for learning. Standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are above average. They are well above average in reading. These reflect the results of national tests over the last few years, although results vary slightly from year to year as the numbers of pupils taking the tests have been small. Standards in writing are improving. They are broadly average but remain below those in other key subjects. More able pupils extend their skills and knowledge well, particularly in mathematics. Pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities benefit from good support and their achievement is good.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' good achievement in other subjects, for example, physical education, is enhanced very successfully in extra-curricular clubs, some of which are run very effectively by community organisations and parent helpers.

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Grade: 2

The strong focus on pupils' personal development helps them to enjoy school, get on well with each other and contribute very effectively to the school and wider communities. Their attendance is good; they behave well and have a secure understanding of rights and responsibilities. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding, especially the very effective use of collective worship to help pupils understand their feelings and how to relate to others. Pupils know how to keep safe and healthy and participate with enthusiasm in the good range of sporting activities. Those elected for the school council take pride in improving the school, for example, by lobbying for a new bicycle shed to encourage pupils to cycle to school. Such projects help pupils to develop their economic awareness by working together to plan fund-raising events and managing a budget. Older pupils enjoy taking

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Grade: 2

responsibility for younger pupils. Some pupils take increasing responsibility for their own learning, for example, by assessing and trying to improve their work but this is not yet developed enough to raise standards significantly. 3 Inspection Report: Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 21 °22 September 2006

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Grade: 2

Teachers match learning activities to pupils' different learning needs. They work very successfully with teaching assistants to ensure that all pupils are included fully. Teachers use resources very effectively to capture pupils' attention, for example, when using an interactive whiteboard to create a 'croaking frog' that required pupils to extend their mental number skills. Teachers have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and attitudes and they respond well. Most lessons have a vibrant atmosphere and pupils are clearly keen to learn. In some lessons, the brisk pace is not maintained and teachers do not ask challenging enough questions of more able pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum for Reception children and for those in Years 1 to 6 provides a good range of interesting and varied learning activities. They are well planned to support the achievement of pupils of different abilities. The school makes good use of visits and visitors to stimulate pupils' interest in a wide range of creative activities, such as opera and samba drumming, and sporting opportunities. Links with a local sports college and local football and cricket clubs enhance pupils' sporting skills and their understanding of safe and healthy lifestyles. Pupils use their information and communication technology skills effectively to support their learning, although opportunities are missed to extend their writing skills in other subjects.

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Grade: 2

Overall standards of care, guidance and support are good. However, the personal care given to pupils is outstanding and as a result they blossom as individuals and rapidly gain in self-confidence. Staff work hard to help every pupil to be involved. This encourages them to try hard to succeed and helps them to achieve well. The academic guidance given to pupils is good. Teachers use marking effectively to help pupils improve their work. The use of personal targets to show pupils exactly what they need to do to raise their standards, for example, in writing, is getting better but is not yet sufficiently established to improve standards consistently across the school. Careful attention is given to ensuring that pupils are safe and well-protected.

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Grade: 2

The good leadership of the headteacher and his deputy has built a strong team of staff. They are supported well by effective governors and morale is high. They have 4 Inspection Report: Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 21 °22 September 2006 established accurate procedures for checking how well the school is doing and ensuring that pupils make good progress in their academic and personal development. Since the last inspection, these procedures have proved effective in raising standards by the end of Year 2 and the school is well placed to improve further. The headteacher and deputy monitor staff performance regularly and link their development closely to areas for improvement. Staff changes mean that the contribution of some recently appointed subject leaders, for example in mathematics and science, have yet to impact fully on pupils' achievement and the quality of teaching and learning.

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 21 °22 September 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: Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 21 °22 September 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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 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: Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 21 °22 September 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: Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 21 °22 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

25 September 2006 Dear children, Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England VA Primary School, Wheel Road, Alpington, Norwich, Norfolk, NR14 7NH Thank you for making me feel welcome when I visited your school. I enjoyed talking to you, looking at your work and watching you learn. What I liked most about your school was: - Your teachers and other adults care about you as individuals, make sure that you are safe and listen to your opinions about school. - You get on well together and are kind to each other. I particularly like the way older pupils help the younger ones. - You behave well and clearly enjoy school. This means that teachers can get on with the job of helping you learn. - Teachers make your lessons interesting and all the adults put a lot of effort into helping you do well. You enjoy your work and try hard to do what your teachers ask. I think you learn well. - The school puts on extra activities, such as the clubs and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

trips out of school, to help you have fun. I know you enjoy these very much. - Mr Henery, the staff and governors have good ideas about how to make your school better. They are working hard to make this happen. - You and your parents think it is a good school, and I agree. I think that your school could be even better if you try really hard to achieve your own improvement targets in writing and if you are given every possible chance to use writing as well as you can in literacy and in other lessons. I have also asked your school to provide more opportunities for teachers who are responsible for particular subjects to look carefully at lessons and see where they can help you to achieve even better. I hope that you continue to be happy at school and carry on working hard. Colin Henderson Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 21 °22 September 2006

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