Geddington Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Geddington Church of England Primary School

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121972 Unique Reference Number Northamptonshire Local Authority 292281 Inspection number 1 November 2006 Inspection date Helen Barter 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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Wood Street School address Primary Type of school Geddington Voluntary controlled School category Kettering NN14 1BG 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01536 742201 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01536 742201 Fax number 180 Number on roll (school) P L M Lockwood Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Sue Spooner Headteacher 4 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 292281 1 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Children enter Reception with skills and abilities that are in line with those expected for their age. A number of pupils join the school in later years. There are more pupils with statements of special educational need than usual although the overall proportion with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average. Three new teachers, including the deputy headteacher, have joined the school in the last two years. A growing school roll has enabled it to have one class per year group from 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: Geddington Church of England Primary School, 1 November 2006

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good all-round primary education. Some outstanding areas of its work lead parents to describe the school as 'great' and 'having a fantastic reputation locally'. Pupils' achieve well throughout the school. Children make a good start in Reception. Careful induction helps them to gain confidence in learning and to develop very good personal skills which stand them in good stead for the future. They make good progress in all areas of learning, particularly in their personal and social development, and nearly all meet the expected levels by the start of Year 1. Careful building on this good foundation in Years 1 and 2 helps pupils to gain confidence in using their literacy and numeracy skills. Good quality teaching helps pupils to continue making good progress so that they reach above average standards by the time they leave. Teachers carefully plan activities that challenge pupils of all abilities. These activities are mostly presented

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Grade: 2

in a lively and interesting way which encourages pupils' enjoyment of learning although this is not fully consistent across all classes. The school is highly effective in helping pupils to grow into well-rounded young people. The exceptionally caring environment and quality of relationships help every pupil to grow in confidence and feel safe and well looked after. They are sensible, friendly and very capable of taking responsibility for themselves and for others. Pupils outstanding personal development means that they are very well prepared for life ahead. Pupils really enjoy school, behave exceptionally well and are very keen to learn. The excellent curriculum helps pupils to greatly enjoy learning and to discover new experiences beyond the classroom. The school is well run. The headteacher's strong vision that all pupils will succeed is shared by all staff and governors. School self-evaluation, including very good insight

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Grade: 2

by the excellent governing body, accurately details the school's strengths and weaknesses. Although the school development plan identifies what the school needs to improve next, it does not set sufficiently clear targets against which it can measure just how successful the school has been in meeting its goals. The track record of continuous improvement since the last inspection demonstrates the school's good capacity to improve even further. The development of a library and resource area and new classroom is a good example of how the school tries to always provide the best for its pupils.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that teachers provide pupils with a varied range of interesting and lively activities on a consistent basis in all classes. • Set clear goals for success in the school development plan so that actions taken can be more carefully measured and evaluated. 2 Inspection Report: Geddington Church of England Primary School, 1 November 2006

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Grade: 2

All pupils, whatever their background or ability, achieve well. By the end of Year 6, standards in English, mathematics and science are above the national average. In some years, more able pupils reach standards that are exceptionally high. Evidence of pupils' good progress was seen in their books and on display. Much good work is going on to improve the quality of pupils' writing in all classes. This is particularly so for some of the younger boys who struggled to get going with their literacy skills when they were in Reception. Pupils are delighted with their own progress and are very keen to show how well their writing has come on, even since the start of term. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make very good progress because of the high quality support they receive.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development is exemplary, as is their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Their attendance is good. They arrive at school ready to learn and behave impeccably all day. Pupils have high self-esteem and confidence and relish taking responsibility. For example, the school council seriously explain how they 'really want to know what everyone thinks' before making decisions on how to spend their budget on improving the playground. Pupils gain a strong awareness of the importance of contributing to the community. For instance, the eco-committee is exceptionally proud of the work it is doing to raise awareness to improve their community's environment. They are highly aware of current concerns about world climate change. Pupils have a very well developed awareness of the needs of others and listen respectfully to each other as they share their views. 'Buddies' play an important role

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Grade: 1

in improving friendship and making sure nobody is left out at playtime. All pupils are aware of the need to keep safe and to make sure they have a 'healthy lunchbox'. Pupils are extremely well prepared for the move to secondary education and say that their good quality learning and ability to take responsibility 'definitely' prepares them well for the future.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well because of good quality teaching. Strong relationships and clear expectations for behaviour result in a very positive atmosphere where pupils enjoy learning. Teaching assistants are very effective in supporting literacy and numeracy groups and individual pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. Pupils are helped to become confident learners. Younger children, for example, know that 'word banks' will help them to find the words they need to get going and be good 'sentence-makers.' 3 Inspection Report: Geddington Church of England Primary School, 1 November 2006 Lessons are well organised and pupils know what they are expected to do. They are particularly motivated by interesting activities which help them to learn in different ways, such as exploring the properties of different materials in a 'feely bag' in science and engaging in lively discussion about the feelings of evacuees during the Second

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Grade: 2

World War. Pupils work diligently, but with less enthusiasm, when activities are less imaginatively presented.

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Grade: 1

The exceptionally broad curriculum has a clear focus on developing a love of learning and the skills needed for life ahead. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used very well to support teaching and engage pupils' interest in learning. The school ensures that pupils receive a rich education through activity weeks, themed days and musical and drama performances. It provides pupils with a very good range of extra sporting activities to develop their physical skills and fitness, and after-school clubs to broaden their interests beyond the school day. Reception children experience stimulating activities, such as role-play in the outdoor area, which entice them to explore learning.

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, guidance and support for all pupils, including the more vulnerable and those with learning difficulties and disabilities, is excellent and results in their high levels of personal development. Parents say that pupils 'love school' and that 'concerns are always looked into and dealt with'. Pupils confirm this and readily explain how they help each other learn how to get on and care for others. The support they receive gives them confidence to learn, to seek help when they need it and to learn to solve their own difficulties. Pupils know that they have a 'real say' in the running of the school. This makes a huge contribution to their high levels of confidence and self-esteem. Pupils really value the excellent help they receive to improve their work. They say that 'marking helps you to think about where you went wrong' and that 'it is good to get another child's opinion', when assessing the quality of each other's

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Grade: 2

There is a real sense of teamwork and commitment to ensuring that all pupils reach their potential in this well led school. Parents speak very highly of its leadership because the headteacher has 'such enthusiasm for school and learning that it rubs off onto the children and parents alike'. The headteacher has maintained a steady ship since the last inspection, has built on the school's already effective work and has further developed very strong partnerships with other schools and the community. She is very well supported by the very effective deputy Headteacher and all staff who have roles 4 Inspection Report: Geddington Church of England Primary School, 1 November 2006 as curriculum managers. There is a strong desire and very good capacity amongst all leaders and managers to address any areas of weakness, for example, the literacy skills of some younger boys. Although areas for improvement are clearly identified in the

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Grade: 2

school development plan, it does not set clear enough targets against which the success of actions taken can be evaluated and measured in terms of raising standards. This school provided good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Geddington Church of England Primary School, 1 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: Geddington Church of England Primary School, 1 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?

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. 7 Inspection Report: Geddington Church of England Primary School, 1 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: Geddington Church of England Primary School, 1 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for talking to me and being so friendly and welcoming when I visited your school recently. I really enjoyed meeting and chatting with many of you. You told me that 'as soon as you come to the school you love it'. I agree that your school is good and there are some things that are exceptionally good. These are the things that I found • You all learn well and reach good standards because you are taught well. • Your behaviour is excellent and you are growing up into really mature young people who care about other people very much. You are enthusiastic and handle your responsibilities well. • You really enjoy your education because the school makes sure that you learn all the right things and do lots of interesting things outside the classroom. • Your school cares extremely well for you so that you know how to lead safe and healthy lives. Your school council and eco-committee are doing excellent work.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Your headteacher, the other adults and governors all make sure the school is run well and check often that you are all working as well as you possibly can. You enjoy learning the most when you are given interesting things to do in lessons, so I have asked your teachers to make sure that you always have lots of different activities to make learning even more exciting for you. Your school knows exactly what it wants to do to get even better. I have asked it to set itself some clear goals to work towards and then, just as you do when you are using your traffic lights in your books, check how well it is getting on. 9 Inspection Report: Geddington Church of England Primary School, 1 November 2006

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