Bloxham Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Bloxham Church of England Primary School

p.1

123098 Unique Reference Number Oxfordshire Local Authority 292579 Inspection number 28 °29 November 2006 Inspection dates Robert Pyner HMI Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Tadmarton Road School address Primary Type of school Bloxham Voluntary controlled School category Banbury OX15 4HP 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01295 720224 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01295 720484 Fax number 304 Number on roll (school) Mrs Fiona Richards Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Matthew Ingall Headteacher 7 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292579 28 °29 November 2006 4°11 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two of Her Majesty's Inspectors and an Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

Bloxham Church of England Primary School is larger than average and serves a rural area whose social circumstances are generally more favourable than those nationally. The overwhelming majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds but a significant number of pupils from Traveller families attend. There is a Partnership Foundation Stage Unit which provides joint maintained and private provision for learning and childcare for children between the ages of three and five. A fire in 2005 destroyed the building in which this unit operated and led to its re-location within the school.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bloxham Church of England Primary School, 28 °29 November 2006

p.3

Grade: 2

Bloxham Church of England Primary is a good school. Pupils' personal development is good and promoted through the teaching, high standards of pastoral care, excellent behaviour and pupils' enthusiastic involvement in the school and wider community. As a result, pupils enjoy school and understand how to stay safe and healthy. As one pupil remarked, 'I like coming to school because it's really fun to learn things and I like seeing my friends'. Pupils have a forum through the school council and are pleased their views are listened to and acted upon. The nurture programme is particularly good in supporting vulnerable pupils and children from Traveller families have their needs met effectively and sensitively. Parents are supportive of the school and the inspection team received many positive comments of which this one is typical, 'In the past three years my daughter's confidence, self belief and academic levels have exceeded my expectations'. However,

p.4

Grade: 2

a few parents would like to see more communication. The school acknowledges that it requires more information to establish the views of parents about the quality of provision. Pupils' progress is good overall from a slightly above average starting point but this masks variable achievement through the school. Children get off to a good start. They make clear progress in the Partnership Foundation Stage Unit and reach above average standards. This is because provision is good, the liaison with the pre-school provider is excellent and activities are planned to interest the children and stimulate learning. In Years 1 and 2 progress slows because monitoring of achievement is not used effectively. The rate of progress picks up well in Years 3 to 6 due to highly effective teaching. Standards are broadly average at Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics but, given the pupils' starting points, these are too low particularly in writing. By Year

p.4

Grade: 2

6, standards are above average with good results at the higher levels in English, mathematics and science. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because of the effective support that they receive from all staff. Teaching is good and sometimes outstanding, with high levels of support in lessons. The curriculum offers a good range of learning activities planned to meet pupils' interests and abilities. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has worked hard to develop the Partnership Foundation Stage Unit and this is a substantial benefit to the community. He provides a clear vision for the future of the school and has forged an effective leadership group. This group has a good view of the school's strengths and weaknesses and a desire to make improvements. Subject leaders have improved the collection and analysis of data on individual pupils' progress. This information is used

p.4

Grade: 2

well to target areas of underachievement and is beginning to improve attainment. However, this has not had sufficient time to impact on standards at Key Stage 1. Since the last inspection, governors have developed a good structure to support the school and hold it to account well. Consequently, the school has a good capacity to improve. 2 Inspection Report: Bloxham Church of England Primary School, 28 °29 November 2006

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards and achievement in Key Stage 1, particularly in writing. • Improve strategies to ascertain the views of parents. • Ensure that the assessment of pupils' progress is embedded consistently in all areas of the curriculum.

p.5

Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good. After a good start in the Foundation Stage trends in results over time show that progress slows in Years 1 and 2. Performance by higher attaining pupils fluctuates but reading is better than average and writing and mathematics are below average. However, in the 2006 tests, there was a slight improvement in writing and mathematics at the higher level. Progress accelerates in Years 3 to 6 because of very effective teaching based on the analysis of individual achievement so that by the end of their primary schooling pupils' standards are above national averages in English, mathematics and science with a good number of pupils reaching higher levels of attainment in these subjects. Taken overall, despite the dip in achievement in Key Stage 1, progress across the school is good. Pupils with learning difficulties make good progress as do pupils from Traveller communities.

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. The recently revised code of conduct, which includes pupils' views, has had a very positive impact upon attitudes and behaviour and these areas are excellent due to this unified approach. Playground 'buddies' and good relationships with staff lead to pupils feeling safe and enjoying their learning and playtimes. The school encourages pupils to eat healthily. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good and developed through the systematic teaching of human values, church participation in the life of the school and activities such as African drumming. Pupils' involvement in organising stalls at school events contribute satisfactorily to their future economic well-being. Measures taken to monitor and promote attendance have led to improvement since the last inspection and this is now satisfactory.

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good, with some outstanding features. Teachers in the Foundation Stage give children a good start by employing a wide range of stimulating 3 Inspection Report: Bloxham Church of England Primary School, 28 °29 November 2006 and enjoyable learning activities. Throughout the school teachers show a high level of commitment to pupils and manage their behaviour very well. The learning environment is stimulating and relevant to the children's learning. With a great sense of enthusiasm, teachers encourage pupils in their learning and challenge them to tackle more difficult work when appropriate. Teachers are adept at finding 'what will work' with individuals, be it role play, group or individual tasks. They use their good subject knowledge well to ask pupils probing questions, which promote pupils' knowledge and understanding across a wide range of subjects. Lessons usually have a clear purpose

p.5

Grade: 2

and careful explanations so that pupils know what they will be learning. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported so that they make good progress. The very high level of support in all lessons makes possible good and immediate feedback on work. Marking is regular and many comments provide pupils with excellent guidance on how to improve.

p.6

Grade: 2

The school offers a good curriculum that promotes both academic and personal development well. There is a good range of extra activities provided for the pupils, including art, music and French. The school has developed a good partnership with the local secondary school. Secondary teachers teach French to Year 6 pupils, an experience that they value highly. Pupils are very enthusiastic about the wide range of sporting activities and enjoy 'Fitness Club' sessions. The Reception curriculum gives children good opportunities to follow their interests and develop their basic skills. Year 6 pupils are encouraged to undertake coaching responsibilities through a leadership in sport scheme and many accept the challenge. The school uses the local environment well to enrich the curriculum. The curriculum ensures a systematic approach to development of the pupils' skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology across the school.

p.6

Grade: 2

Care, support and guidance are good with some outstanding practice. The work of the nurture programme is particularly successful in supporting vulnerable children. The programme offers sympathetic and effective guidance to pupils with emotional and behavioural needs and is very effectively coordinated. Traveller children and their families are very well supported by the school working with the local authority advisory service for Traveller education. Systems to ensure the health, safety and well being of pupils are in place and understood by staff but procedures to monitor achievement are less well developed. 4 Inspection Report: Bloxham Church of England Primary School, 28 °29 November 2006

p.6

Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher is a caring, committed leader and has worked hard to implement a number of initiatives to raise standards and improve teaching and learning. In this he has not been distracted by the consequences of the serious fire in the school last year. He is developing the role of a senior leadership team to embed improvements. Communication is good and the school functions well. The school's self evaluation is effective. The senior leadership team and subject leaders have a good understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses and use this information to focus resources appropriately. The work by subject leaders has focused on English, mathematics and science and they now have effective data on individual achievement with which to plan improvements. This is not as well developed in other subjects. Clearly defined systems provide governors with good information for decision making.

p.7

Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the Partnership Foundation Stage Unit are good and an outstanding feature is the level of coordination undertaken jointly with the pre-school provider. 5 Inspection Report: Bloxham Church of England Primary School, 28 °29 November 2006 .

p.7

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: Bloxham Church of England Primary School, 28 °29 November 2006

p.8

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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

p.9

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

p.9

learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 3 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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: Bloxham Church of England Primary School, 28 °29 November 2006

p.9

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: Bloxham Church of England Primary School, 28 °29 November 2006

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for your warm welcome when we visited your school. We were impressed by the way that you talked to us confidently and told us about your school. We really enjoyed joining your lessons and looking at your work. We found everything you said very interesting and helped us to make decisions about how well your school is doing. I thought that you would like to know what we found out about you and your school. We think that your school is good. The headteacher, teachers and teaching assistants work hard to make sure that you are safe, healthy, supported and make good progress in your learning. Your behaviour is excellent and we found that you are well mannered and prepared to help others. You have a good range of extra activities at school and we know that the Year 6 children particularly enjoy the French lessons. Your attendance is better and we hope you will continue to make sure that you go to school regularly.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We were lucky to be able to make our base in the newly built Partnership Foundation Stage Unit when we were at your school. It is a lovely building and it will be exciting when the children move in. Your headteacher, staff and governors have worked hard to make sure that this will be a really good place in which to learn. We have asked your headteacher, teachers and governors to work on some things to make your school even better. Your teachers generally know how well you are doing in your lessons but we have asked them work on this so that they have a better idea of how you can make even more progress and learn more. By doing this your teachers can encourage you to make the most of your time at school, particularly in Years 1 and 2. We have also asked your teachers and governors to consider ways to find out what your parents think about your school so that more improvements can be made. I am sure that you will want to help to make your school even better than it is.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you again for helping us to find out about your school. Yours sincerely, Robert PynerHer Majesty's Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Bloxham Church of England Primary School, 28 °29 November 2006

p.11