Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School

Inspection Report - Amended Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School

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123542 Unique Reference Number Telford and Wrekin Local Authority 292706 Inspection number 27 September 2006 Inspection date Christine Field 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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Dale End School address Primary Type of school Coalbrookdale Voluntary aided School category Telford TF8 7DS 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01952 433514 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01952 433962 Fax number 207 Number on roll (school) Stephen Carter Chair The governing body Appropriate authority John Holt Headteacher 16 April 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 292706 27 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 Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school provides for local children and for a high proportion who choose to travel from quite some distance away. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and all speak English as their main language. The majority of pupils join Reception with skills and knowledge at the level expected for their age.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School, 27 September 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils, parents, governors and staff all say that this is a good school and they are right to do so, because it is. The ethos is friendly and purposeful and pupils thrive both academically and socially. Teaching is good, the curriculum is exciting and the care of pupils is second to none. All of these things support pupils in achieving well. The school successfully fosters outstanding relationships and nurtures pupils' growth as socially responsible citizens. Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is excellent. Pupils' good attendance and exemplary behaviour reflect their high levels of enjoyment in learning. With good achievement in their basic skills and outstanding personal skills, pupils are extremely well placed to take full advantage of life and work choices as they move into young adulthood. As one parent said, 'I could not wish for a better school for my children, it

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Grade: 2

enables them to blossom'. The youngest pupils settle well in the Reception class. They enjoy the many well planned practical activities, such as identifying shapes in the playground and fruit printing, which help them build key skills securely and reach their learning goals. Pupils continue to flourish as they move through the school. For some years, standards at the end of Years 2 and 6 in English, mathematics and science have been above those seen nationally. From a typically average starting point pupils make good progress and achieve well during their time at school. Classes are vibrant and stimulating with teachers' high expectations resulting in good standards of work. Mostly there is plenty of challenge in the tasks set for pupils of all ages, although occasionally the more able pupils in the infant years could be stretched still further in their writing. Target setting is more effective in helping junior age pupils

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Grade: 2

aim high, than it is in the infant years. Additionally, although marking rightly gives praise, it does not always show pupils how to improve their work. The use of systems to track pupils' progress is a positive step that is helping school leaders to pinpoint individual progress at regular intervals, and inform the deployment of the highly effective teaching assistant team. Some outstanding work was observed taking place between teachers, teaching assistants and very able mathematicians in Year 6. The headteacher has set a crystal-clear direction for the work of the school. He commands the respect of everyone for his total dedication to providing the best education possible for all pupils. Excellent links have been built with a wide range of partners to support pupils' care and well-being. The senior management team have an accurate view of where improvement lies and together with staff and governors

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Grade: 2

are working successfully towards even better effectiveness. The effect of this is well illustrated in the words of a non-teaching staff member: 'the whole school works on cooperation, everyone here shares with one another, we pull together'. School improvement is a team effort and an effective process and successfully underpins the school's good capacity to move forward. 2 Inspection Report: Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School, 27 September 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

• Further extend the writing skills of the more able pupils in the infant years. • Widen the use of targets to better support pupils in knowing how to move up a level, particularly when they are working independently. • Focus marking more closely on showing pupils how to improve their work and to help them understand the next step in learning.

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Grade: 2

When pupils start in Reception their attainment is in line with levels expected for their age. They make good progress, reach all their learning goals and are well equipped to start work on the National Curriculum when they transfer to Year 1. Boys and girls achieve well to attain standards that are above average by the end of Year 2, although the school has rightly identified that a few more able pupils should be doing better in writing. A range of strategies is being used effectively to support better writing. These include more regular assessments of pupils' work and greater use of targets that are matched to pupils' individual needs. Standards in English, mathematics and science are typically above average by the end of Year 6. In 2005, results in national tests were exceptionally high in English and placed the school in the top 5% of all primary schools. Test results in 2006 show a significant increase in the number of Year 6 pupils reaching the higher Level 5 in all

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Grade: 2

subjects. This reflects very positively on the school's strategies for making improvement. The school sets challenging targets for the Year 6 group that were exceeded last year. Targets are not set for other year groups and this is a missed opportunity to support improvement.

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Grade: 1

The school's very positive Christian ethos is a strong feature in supporting pupils' outstanding personal development. Pupils say they are well looked after at school, their teachers are friendly and supportive and that every day they learn new and exciting things and have fun. Pupils have very positive attitudes to school. They value the quality of experiences on offer to them and particularly enjoy visits further afield. The words of one pupil sum this up, 'Our visit to Llandudno was brilliant even though it rained when we were leaving and never stopped all day, we had a great time!' The school council is a strong promoter of health related issues and has been instrumental in changing pupils' attitudes by encouraging fruit, rather than unhealthy snacks, at playtime. It has also raised funds to provide playtime equipment to support healthy exercise. Links with the local community are very well forged and include

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Grade: 1

pupils' involvement in many village events, such as the annual parade and hosting visitors from Blaenavon. Pupils' generous charitable fund raising has helped build a 3 Inspection Report: Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School, 27 September 2006 school in Ghana and, through close contact with the school, pupils can see the impact they are having in helping improve the lives of others less fortunate than themselves.

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Grade: 2

The stable, talented and experienced staff team work together very successfully to help pupils learn successfully. Classes buzz with activity as pupils work on tasks that interest and motivate them to try their best. Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent and the atmosphere that pervades is one of trust and mutual respect. This underpins pupils' confidence to have a go at trying out new things without fear of failure. Pupils with learning difficulties are given just the right amount of support to help them reach individual targets. Those with gifts and talents are provided with extra challenges that help them reach their personal best. Visits to lessons and sampling of pupils' work confirm the school's view that the quality of teaching is good. This is reflected in pupils' good achievement. However, occasionally not enough is expected of more able writers in the infants with regard to punctuation

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Grade: 2

and the amount of work completed. These pupils are not as well-informed about personal targets as those in the juniors. When working independently, they can easily lose sight of what they need to do to reach the standards of which they are capable. Marking of work in writing books from the beginning of term celebrates good progress but it seldom identifies how pupils can improve their work.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is very rich and inspiring and makes an outstanding contribution to the progress and personal development of the pupils. Information and communication technology (ICT) has improved very well since the last inspection with good use now made of ICT to support pupils' work across subjects. There is a very wide range of visits and visitors that enhance pupils' enjoyment in learning. Links with the Ironbridge Gorge Museum significantly extend pupils' understanding of local history and geography, whilst their involvement with 'Enginuity' has resulted in exciting design and technology projects. The work with Telford Culture Zone provides all pupils with excellent opportunities to widen their cultural horizons. For example, pupils have made their own museums, composed music that represents their experience at the Tar Tunnel, and performed plays based on the lives of Victorian characters. Visits to a wide variety

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Grade: 1

of places of worship help pupils to appreciate diversity and understand the importance of faith to people from many different cultures. There is excellent attention paid to developing pupils' musical gifts as well as sporting talents. The choir's singing during the inspection was a beautiful, uplifting experience for all. 4 Inspection Report: Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School, 27 September 2006

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Grade: 2

Care and support are outstanding and academic guidance is good. Strong links with a wide range of agencies are used to ensure that pupils' personal needs are very well met. Highly effective induction arrangements for children joining Reception help them to make a positive start. Child protection procedures are robust and supportive of the more vulnerable pupils. Work undertaken towards 'Healthy School' status demonstrates the school's commitment to providing pupils with high quality personal, social and health education. Pupils feel safe and secure because bullying is not tolerated and they are encouraged to play with and help others. Excellent relationships between adults and pupils mean that pupils are confident to seek help and know that they will receive guidance to improve their work. The use of targets is not yet sufficiently rigorous to assist this.

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Grade: 2

Leadership, management and governance are good. The headteacher has created a strong team ethos that results in everyone in school working in the same direction. Expectations are set high and the school has developed effective systems to support staff in achieving them. There has been good improvement since the school's last inspection because of robust self-evaluation and effective improvement processes that involve all staff and governors. Work with other local schools has assisted improvements in ICT and mathematics in particular. The headteacher and senior management team are clear about what the school needs to do to move forward and have been allocated time and finances to support action. They recognise that more work is required to improve writing and to set up a programme of monitoring that better focuses on the progress of specific groups, for example the more able. Governors are very involved in the school and willingly share their expertise, for example

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Grade: 2

in taking assemblies. Through their subject links with coordinators they offer both challenge and support. Effective consultation systems enable pupils and parents to put forward their views about a range of school issues on a regular basis. Many parents give freely of their time whether as members of the very active 'Friends' group or as classroom helpers. This adds considerable value to the quality of education provided. 5 Inspection Report: Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School, 27 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: Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School, 27 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 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?

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: Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School, 27 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: Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School, 27 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for the welcome you gave me when I visited the school for its inspection. I liked meeting you and looking at your work. I very much enjoyed coming into assembly and hearing the choir sing and band play and watching you listen so attentively to the headteacher's story about life in Ghana. When I had lunch with the School Council they told me about lots of the things they like best. Here are some of them: • Happy classrooms with lovely displays. • Friendly and caring teachers who make lessons fun. • Staff who listen and take good care of you. • Lots of exciting visits and clubs after school. • A headteacher who wants the best for everyone. There are one or two things that the school is working on to make things even better and I am sure you will want to do your best to help: • Work as hard as you can in your writing and do not forget to use the correct punctuation as well as interesting words.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Make sure you know what your personal targets are in literacy and numeracy. • Always ask if you are not sure how much work you should complete or what you need to do next to improve your work. With best wishes for the future ? 9 Inspection Report: Coalbrookdale and Ironbridge CofE Primary School, 27 September 2006

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