Cowling Community Primary School

Cowling Community Primary School Inspection report

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121388 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 292099 Inspection number 23 °24 May 2007 Inspection dates Robert Robinson 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 111 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Maria McEwan Chair Mr Steven Smith Headteacher 3 December 2001 Date of previous school inspection Gill Lane School address Cowling Keighley West Yorkshire BD22 0DF

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01535 632198 Telephone number 01535 632198 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 23 °24 May 2007 Inspection dates 292099 Inspection number .

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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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than averageprimary school. Most pupils are of White British backgrounds. No pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. The socio-economic circumstances of the local area are average. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is about average. The headteacher took up his appointment in January 2004. The school is an Investor in People and has gained the Basic Skills Quality Mark, Sport England Quality Mark, the SEN Quality Mark, National Healthy School status and North Yorkshire County Council Highly Effective School status.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Cowling Community Primary School, 23 °24 May 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features in the care, guidance and support and personal development of all pupils. It provides good value for money and serves its local community well. Parents are very supportive of the school. Typical parental comments are 'Cowling School is truly a community school where children are nurtured' and 'Children achieve their potential in a happy well-rounded environment.' The leadership and management are good. The headteacher sets high standards for all staff and has a very clear view of what needs to be done to effect further improvement. He is supported well by capable staff and governors. Standards have risen since the last inspection to be above average. However, pupils' progress in writing is satisfactory and lags behind the good progress they make in reading and mathematics. Good teaching and a well planned interesting curriculum enable pupils to achieve well. The

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Grade: 2

teaching is well organised and strengths in the management of pupils result in harmonious relationships. Information and communication technology, such as interactive whiteboards, is used well to develop learning. The school ensures that all pupils have equal opportunities to make good progress, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Children in the Foundation Stage (Reception) quickly settle into school life. They are taught well and make good progress. Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. Pupils really enjoy coming to school and they respond very well to the first-rate, supportive care they receive. Attendance is good. Behaviour is exemplary both in lessons and around the school. Pupils relish the wide range of after-school activities and educational visits. They feel safe, and trust all the adults they deal with. They know how to maintain a healthy

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Grade: 2

lifestyle and appreciate the healthy foods available at lunchtimes. Pupils are well prepared for future learning through their good acquisition of basic skills and their outstanding behaviour and attitudes to work. The commitment of the staff and the strengths in the leadership and management provide the school with good capacity to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that pupils make good progress in writing so that standards by the end of Year 6 are in line with to those reached in reading and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Children enter the Foundation Stage with the skills expected for their age. However, attainment on entry varies from year to year because of the small numbers in year groups. By the time pupils join Year 1 their attainment is above average because they have made good progress in Reception. Good teaching enables pupils to continue to achieve well throughout the rest of the school. As a result, standards by the end of Year 6 in the 2006 national tests were above average, although pupils' performance in English was not as high as that in mathematics. This was because pupils from Year 3 to 6 made satisfactory progress in writing compared to good progress in reading and mathematics. Standards of the present group of pupils in Year 6 remain above average. Pupils are on course to reach their targets. The 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Cowling Community Primary School, 23 °24 May 2007 strategies put in place by the leadership and management to improve attainment in writing are

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Grade: 2

beginning to have a positive effect, and the gap between pupils' performance in writing and that in reading and mathematics is narrowing.

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Grade: 1

Pupils report that 'Cowling is a brilliant school'. Pupils show extremely positive attitudes to their work, and this helps them to achieve well. Bullying is not an issue. As a pupil stated, 'Occasionally children have odd fall-outs though nothing serious and these are quickly sorted out.' Pupils benefit from the wide range of physical activities available both as part of the curriculum, at playtimes and in out-of-school clubs. Pupils get on extremely well together. They are proud of their school. They are encouraged to express their opinions and to help in the smooth running of the school. The school council's suggestions are acted upon, such as the establishment of 'play pals' and the development of an adventure playground. Pupils raise money for both national and international worthy causes, as well as supporting community events such as the local gala. The thorough grounding in basic skills and pupils' exemplary

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Grade: 1

behaviour prepares them well for future life.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good, resulting in pupils making good progress. Most teaching is good or better, though a minority of teaching is satisfactory. Where teaching is at least good, lessons are planned well to challenge pupils at each level of attainment. Classrooms are stimulating places in which to learn and resources are used well. Class displays are attractive with a strong emphasis on artwork and learning aids, although pupils' written work is rarely displayed and celebrated. Teaching assistants provide valued help to teachers to hasten the learning of groups of pupils, especially those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The pace of lessons is brisk and teachers' excellent management of pupils ensures a calm, purposeful learning atmosphere. Where teaching is satisfactory, it is not geared sufficiently to pupils' interests and their prior attainment so pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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Grade: 2

The marking of pupils' work is consistently good throughout the school. It is celebratory as well as clearly identifying points for improvement. A typical example is: 'Well done. A good piece of descriptive writing. Try to avoid unnecessary repetition.'

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Grade: 2

The school's good curriculum is rich, broad and balanced and meets the needs of all pupils. Increasingly, the school is providing opportunities for pupils to develop literacy skills in other subjects. First-hand experiences through visits and visitors are used to enliven learning. Opportunities for musical tuition and to learn French are available for all pupils. Personal, social, health and citizenship education provides pupils with valuable life skills as well as contributing to their excellent attitudes and behaviour. Provision in the Foundation Stage is good. Exciting activities stimulate these children's interest in all the areas of learning, although there are too few opportunities for them to record and write independently while taking part in role-play 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Cowling Community Primary School, 23 °24 May 2007 activities. Throughout the school, a good range of sporting activities both during school times

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Grade: 2

and after school are enthusiastically supported by pupils.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support for pupils are outstanding. Parents and pupils agree that children are looked after very well. Systems in place to support pupils' pastoral and academic progress are very well established. The tracking of pupils' progress is thorough and is used well to assist them to make good progress in their learning. Pupils who are not making expected progress are clearly identified at all levels of attainment. Help is provided to speed up their learning. Child safeguarding procedures are in place. Health and safety and risk assessment procedures promote a safe environment.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher has gained the respect of the parents, pupils, governors and staff. As the chair of governors stated, 'He has been an inspiration to the school and works so hard to improve and build on what the school has already achieved. He has implemented many new initiatives and is extremely well respected by everyone.' The school has improved well since its last inspection. The headteacher has established a collegiate approach to leadership. All teachers are now involved in the management of the school. Staff and governors share his vision for its future direction. The role of subject leadership has been developed and members of staff are more accountable for standards in their areas of responsibility. The school improvement plan provides clear direction and the priorities for development are appropriate. The leadership's evaluation of its overall performance is accurate. The quality of teaching has improved through rigorous checking of pupils' learning. Following

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Grade: 2

recent training, the governing body has a better understanding of its roles. It now fulfils its responsibilities well. A strong partnership with parents assists the school in many ways. For example, the Supporters of Cowling School work very hard to raise money to provide children with resources the school might otherwise find difficult to afford. Pupils, parents, governors and staff are passionate about the success and continued improvement of the school. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Cowling Community Primary School, 23 °24 May 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Cowling Community Primary School, 23 °24 May 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 1 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?

1 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Cowling Community Primary School, 23 °24 May 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Cowling Community Primary School, 23 °24 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Cowling Community Primary School, West Yorkshire, BD22 0DF Thank you for welcoming me to your school. I enjoyed the two days I spent with you and our discussions. My findings confirm your own views that your school is a good school with some outstanding features because it is led and managed well by the headteacher, other staff and governors. I was very impressed by your outstanding behaviour and interest in lessons. Your attendance is good - so keep it up. Staff look after you extremely well and I was pleased that you get on so well together. The standard of your work by the time you leave the school is above average because you are taught well and make good progress. However, I have asked the school to work with you to improve your writing so that standards in writing are as high as those in reading and mathematics. I appreciated talking to you about your work and watching you learn. I trust that you will

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

continue to work with the headteacher and other staff to help them to improve the school even more. I wish you well for the future. 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Cowling Community Primary School, 23 °24 May 2007

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