Welshampton CofE Primary School

Inspection Report - Amended Welshampton CofE Primary School

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123510 Unique Reference Number Shropshire Local Authority 292693 Inspection number 27 °28 September 2006 Inspection dates Michael Smith 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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Welshampton School address Primary Type of school Ellesmere Voluntary controlled School category SY12 0PG 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01948 710325 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01948710904 Fax number 70 Number on roll (school) David Skitter Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Geraldine Dunkerley Headteacher 8 March 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 292693 27 °28 September 2006 4°11

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Amended Report Addendum

Report updated to resolve formatting inconsistency

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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.

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Description of the school

This small school serves the villages of Welshampton, Lyneal and Colemere and the nearby town of Ellesmere. Pupils are organised into three mixed-age classes. There are no pupils with English as an additional language or from minority ethnic backgrounds. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is low.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Welshampton CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006

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Grade: 1

Welshampton is an outstanding school because pupils enjoy attending and they achieve excellently to attain exceptionally high standards. There is a tangible ethos of care and support which permeates all areas of school life, making parents very pleased with the school. One said 'I feel the school offers everything a small school should, the result of the hard work and dedication on the part of the staff'. Pupils behave excellently and take an active part in their learning. They respond well to the school ethos of 'Work hard and play hard'. The school is at the centre of the community where it makes a very positive contribution. Pupils feel very safe in school. The excellent care and support they receive help them to make outstanding progress and prepare for the next stage of their education very well. They receive well focused guidance on how to improve and pupils strive to meet very challenging targets with a great deal of success. They understand the need to

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Grade: 1

remain healthy. They eat healthy food and many cycle or walk to school in response to the school's travel plan, which the pupils helped formulate. Pupils really enjoy coming to school and attendance is very high. They respond well to the exciting and engaging curriculum, which is very well planned so that pupils enhance and extend their skills as they progress within the school. Very good use is made of topics to focus cross-curricular activities. For example, work within science, English and mathematics is enhanced by the work to develop an eco-friendly school. There is a strong emphasis on experimental and practical work within mathematics and science and this has ensured that pupils develop well focused, independent learning skills. Pupils enjoy a rich variety of extra activities, including French, ceramics and physical education in conjunction with the local secondary school and they enjoy learning to cook within their own school.

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Grade: 1

Achievement is outstanding as pupils reach excellent standards in mathematics and science and high standards in English, where standards in writing are not as impressive as the other subjects. Standards and the provision within the Foundation Stage are excellent and provide a perfect platform for pupils as they enter the school. This is because the leadership of the school enthuses and motivates teachers to deliver very stimulating and exciting lessons which enthuse and engage pupils to really enjoy their work. Teachers know their pupils well so that the work is well matched to their abilities and lessons are very well supported by skilful teaching assistants. Pupils make a strong positive contribution to the local community. They support activities within the village and the local church and their work is often used by outside agencies, including the local area health centre and the county council. Pupils

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Grade: 1

understand the democratic process and they are encouraged to vote in issues which affect the whole school. This prepares them for future life very well. Pupils visit a variety of local venues and support a school in Africa and this engages them in purposeful writing as well as raising their cultural awareness. The atmosphere in the school ensures pupils understand right and wrong and supports their social and moral development well. 2 Inspection Report: Welshampton CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006 The school has made excellent progress since the last inspection and its very strong leadership places it in an excellent position to improve further. Its self-evaluation rightly identifies the school as outstanding, which is why the local authority uses staff to demonstrate good practice within the county. The collegiate management works very well and ensures the school is constantly improving. The school does well to

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Grade: 1

overcome the problems of limited space, a lack of specific facilities for physical education and ceramics, which are a financial burden, and limited time to manage. The fact that it is so successful is testament to the hard work and dedication of all the staff. Governance is extremely supportive but holds the school well to account. The school gives outstanding value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in English from very good to outstanding in line with science and mathematics by improving writing.

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Grade: 1

Across the school pupils, including those with learning difficulties or disabilities, make outstanding progress. Because of the small number of pupils in a cohort, standards fluctuate from year to year but they are exceptionally high overall. This is shown in the results of national tests, which have been extremely high, with a significant improvement in mathematics since the last inspection. The majority of pupils meet or exceed the levels expected for their age. Many pupils do even better and achieve well above average standards, especially in science and mathematics. The school's comprehensive and effective assessment data reflect this positive picture.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' behaviour and attitudes are excellent and their attendance is very good. They really enjoy coming to school and respect their environment as demonstrated by their work to become an eco-friendly school. One parent described the school as 'very welcoming and friendly'. Pupils say they enjoy their lessons and that the school really cares for them as individuals. They respect each other and try and remain healthy by choosing appropriate food and many of them cycling or walking to school. The ethos of the school ensures that pupils grow up with clear moral attitudes, and a rich variety of activities enables them to gain a very good understanding of different cultures. Hence their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. The strong emphasis on enterprise within school and pupils taking responsibility for running stalls at the school and Christmas fairs prepare them well for dealing with money.

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Grade: 1

3 Inspection Report: Welshampton CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006

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Grade: 1

The quality of teaching and learning is always at least good and overall is outstanding. Excellent relationships built up between adults and pupils ensure that pupils want to learn and behave well. Teachers have good subject knowledge and know their pupils very well which means they are able to match work to their needs and ensure that pupils make at least good, and often excellent, progress within lessons. Teaching ensures that learning is enjoyable and that the pupils achieve highly. Excellent use is made of teaching assistants within the mixed-age classes. Marking is well focused and supports pupils to improve. Questioning of pupils is of a very high standard with good use made of open questions to enable pupils to expand upon their answers and to give reasons.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is very well planned to ensure it motivates and excites pupils and it builds upon their skills as they progress through the school. The range of extra-curricular activities is excellent, including French, cookery, ceramics, sports and drama clubs. These are greatly appreciated by the pupils and many of them take up the opportunity to attend even though some entail travelling to a local secondary school. The work covered whilst working towards the eco-school green flag status shows the school's commitment to developing the pupils' community responsibilities and engaging them with global and local environmental issues, such as recycling and sustainable energy. This has also been seen as a stimulus to work in different areas of the curriculum and exemplifies the school's commitment to make the curriculum relevant and meaningful. Good use is made of information and communication technology to enhance the curriculum across all subjects. The strong emphasis on

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Grade: 1

practical, investigational and experimental work across all classes has helped develop pupils' good independent working skills and improve their reasoning, particularly in science and mathematics.

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Grade: 1

The school cares extremely well for the pupils. They are aware of this and respond to the guidance and support given to make very good progress. Parents feel that the induction of new pupils is excellent. Procedures to ensure child protection are effective and well established, as are health and safety checks. Pupils are aware of their targets for improvement and how they can achieve them. The school has good systems to monitor the progress of pupils and to identify any who may require additional support, which it then helps. Pupils feel they are well prepared for the next stage of their 4 Inspection Report: Welshampton CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006 education and the frequent visits they make to the local secondary school aid the transfer.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The commitment, drive and vision for excellence are very well demonstrated by the excellent ethos, the extremely high standards achieved by the pupils and their impressive personal qualities. The headteacher is an excellent role model and leads by example. The collegiate approach ensures all teachers know what is expected and how to improve. There is a strong commitment to self-improvement and the school is seen by the local authority as a centre of excellence to demonstrate good practice to other schools. Self-evaluation is accurate and thorough. Governance is very good and supportive, with governors often in school to support activities, for example helping with music and French. 5 Inspection Report: Welshampton CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Welshampton CofE Primary School, 27 °28 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? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 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 1 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: Welshampton CofE Primary School, 27 °28 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: Welshampton CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You may remember I visited your school recently and I met with some of you at lunchtime and talked to others during lessons and at playtime. What a delight and privilege it was for me to see how well you are doing. You are all extremely friendly, cheerful and keen to talk about your work. Many of you told me how much you appreciate all the things your teachers and other adults do for you, especially the after school clubs, and about the fun you have in lessons. I was disappointed I was not allowed to blow a big bubble like the children in class 1. Many of you told me what an outstanding school you went to and I agree fully. Your headteacher, all the teachers and adults who work in school with you take great care of you and make sure that you do really well in your lessons and achieve outstanding standards. I am very impressed by the way you look after each other and how you are working towards the eco-school green flag status. You also listen really well during conversations. The quality

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

of some of your explanations in science was very good, as were the letters you were writing to your friends in the school in Africa. I was also impressed by lots of your work which is displayed around the school. The headteacher and your teachers are determined to carry on improving your school and have got lots of good ideas as to how they will do this, including improving the standards in writing. Of course they will also continue to need your and your parents' help and support. I shall take away lots of good memories about your school and have really enjoyed the time I have spent with you. I hope the Harvest Festival service went well in the church. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly. 9 Inspection Report: Welshampton CofE Primary School, 27 °28 September 2006

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