St Chad's CofE (VC) First School

Inspection Report St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School

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124269 Unique Reference Number Staffordshire Local Authority 292938 Inspection number 15 November 2006 Inspection date Mary Hamby 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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Pattingham School address First Type of school Wolverhampton Voluntary controlled School category WV6 7AQ 3 °9 Age range of pupils 01902 700372 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01902 700372 Fax number 133 Number on roll (school) Graham Tritton Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Jane Nicklin Headteacher 12 March 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 292938 15 November 2006 3 °9 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 two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This small school serves the village of Pattingham and its local surroundings. The pupils are from mostly White British heritages and the proportion entitled to free school meals is much lower than average. Although very few pupils have learning difficulties and disabilities, the proportion with a statement of special educational needs is higher than average. There have been a number of changes to the staff since the last inspection. Most recently the deputy headteacher left to take up a post as a headteacher and this post has not been replaced. The school has taken an innovative approach by appointing a senior management team comprising the headteacher and the school business manager.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School, 15 November 2006

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Grade: 2

St Chad's is a good school. Parents are overwhelmingly pleased with what the school provides. One parent's comment ° that she was 'extremely pleased with the progress made by both children' ° sums up the views of many others. Parents are right to be pleased with the progress their children make. The pupils achieve well, with some outstanding progress in reading. In the Nursery and Reception classes (the Foundation Stage) the children achieve well in all areas of learning and reach high standards. This good progress is maintained through Key Stage 1, where standards have been consistently above average over the last few years. In Key Stage 2, achievement in mathematics is not as strong as in English and consequently standards in this subject are not as high. The pupils achieve well because they are well motivated to learn and most of the teaching is good. Teachers know their pupils well and there is an ethos of hard work

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Grade: 2

in all classrooms. Teachers use resources such as technology to bring lessons to life and this helps pupils to learn new concepts. The staff assess the pupils' capabilities diligently, but they do not always make the best use of this knowledge when asking questions or setting work, particularly in mathematics. The pupils' personal development is good and is well promoted through the curriculum and through opportunities to take part in clubs and visits. The pupils enjoy school and attendance is above average. The strong focus on personal development ensures that pupils are starting to understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and acquiring the skills to become good citizens of the future. Care, guidance and support are good. The staff have very caring attitudes and this helps all the pupils to feel safe and have their opinions valued. Effective procedures are in place to ensure that pupils are given support when they need it and good use

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Grade: 2

is made of outside expertise when necessary. The consistency of approach from all the staff is a key feature of the school and stems from the strong leadership provided by the governors and senior staff. Leadership and management are good. The leadership is creative in its use of resources and achieves good value for money. A distinctive element of school management is the clearly defined roles of headteacher and school business manager; this is both effective and highly efficient. Teachers are developing their leadership roles, but currently are not effective enough in checking the quality of their areas of responsibility, with a suitable focus on improving achievement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve achievement in mathematics in Key Stage 2. • Improve the leadership and management skills of teachers to develop their roles as subject coordinators. 2 Inspection Report: St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School, 15 November 2006

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Grade: 2

The pupils achieve well because they are taught well and are keen to learn. They enter Nursery well prepared for school and this, together with the high quality of teaching, is the reason that they make rapid progress. Standards are higher than average at the end of the Foundation Stage, particularly in personal, social and emotional development. The pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1, with some exceptional achievement in reading. Standards in the Year 2 national tests have been above average over the last few years, with reading scores being consistently well above average. Most pupils reach the challenging targets set for them and there is little difference between the progress of girls and boys. Progress through Year 3 and Year 4 is good in most respects. Achievement in reading continues to be strong, with pupils enjoying a wide range of literature and appreciating the styles of different authors. However,

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Grade: 2

progress in mathematics is slower because the teaching is not always geared sufficiently well to the needs of individual pupils and so targets are not consistently reached.

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Grade: 2

The school's judgement of this aspect of provision is that it is outstanding, whereas inspectors judged it to be good. The school's view is understandable because it is indeed a strong element of the school's work and is given a high priority by all staff. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning when the teaching is interesting, but some become restless when introductions to lessons are too long. They are beginning to be involved in evaluating their own learning, but this is not consistently applied throughout the school. Pupils behave very well on the whole and take pride in their school. The school council provides these pupils with good opportunities to influence decision making, both within school and in the local community. The school has a strong focus on healthy lifestyles, for example, by involving the pupils in devising the school food policy. Consequently they are starting to make healthy

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Grade: 2

choices at lunch times. Older pupils have a variety of 'buddy' responsibilities which they take very seriously and would like to develop further. The good progress pupils make in English through the school stands them in good stead for life after school, but aspects of mathematics need further improvement in Key Stage 2 in order for pupils to achieve all they can. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The school promotes a strong Christian ethos and through daily acts of collective worship, pupils are encouraged to reflect on how faith and religion can influence their lives. 3 Inspection Report: St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School, 15 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. The basis for this good feature of the school is in the very positive relationships between staff and pupils that promote an atmosphere of care and trust. In the Foundation Stage, the teaching is particularly strong. It is well planned to take account of the needs of each child and includes ample opportunities for the children to learn through play. In Years 1 to Year 4 the teaching is effective in most respects, based on a good understanding of the National Curriculum objectives. The teaching of reading not only helps the pupils to acquire skills and strategies sequentially, but also engenders a real love of a wide range of different books. Marking is good in English books so that the pupils have a clear understanding of what they have done well and which aspects of their work need improvement. This has a beneficial impact on the development of their writing. However, marking in mathematics is not

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Grade: 2

as helpful and some of the work and questioning is not matched well enough to the needs of the pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and provides pupils with a broad and balanced range of experiences. Annual curriculum enrichment weeks provide good opportunities for exciting learning, which the pupils really enjoy. Children in the Foundation Stage enjoy a well-planned curriculum that is developed appropriately both indoors and outside. There is a good programme of personal, health and social education throughout the school that includes suitable emphasis on emotional aspects of learning. The curriculum is enhanced by visits and visitors, which helps the pupils to have a broader appreciation of life in a multi-cultural society. Pupils choose from a wide range of after-school activities which they enjoy and which enrich their learning.

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Grade: 2

Good quality care is a key feature of all aspects of the school's life and work. Pupils say that they feel safe in school because of positive relationships that are built on trust and confidence. Parents agree that their children are looked after extremely well. The school has positive relationships with parents and they are well informed about all aspects of school life. Induction procedures are good and children settle quickly into school routines. The good arrangements for passing on information about individual pupils between classes help to ensure that learning continues at points of transfer. Child protection procedures are robust and the school has good links with a range of professionals to support vulnerable pupils. The school is developing its systems for tracking pupils' progress, including maintaining records on personal and social development. The school business manager has worked 4 Inspection Report: St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School, 15 November 2006

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Grade: 2

hard to establish a good database, which can now be used to evaluate performance against national and local benchmarks.

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Grade: 2

Good leadership and skilful management are the backbone of this effective school. It has continued to develop well since the last inspection and has good capacity to improve further. Despite changes of staff since then, the school has continued to steer a successful course and maintain high standards. The experience and skills of the headteacher and governing body have provided a good balance of stability and innovation over the past few years. Governors are well informed, provide challenge and support and are keen to ensure the continual development of the school through evaluation and innovation. One of the innovations of which they are justifiably proud is the introduction of the post of school business manager. The post is complementary to that of the headteacher and this creative practice has brought national commendation to the school from a range of notable sources. There is a strong sense of teamwork in the school and the professional development

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Grade: 2

of staff at all levels is central to the school's ethos. Teachers are developing their roles as subject leaders, but for some, this is not yet fully effective because they have not had sufficient experience in checking the quality of their areas of responsibility and writing reports of their findings. 5 Inspection Report: St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School, 15 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: St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School, 15 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?

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

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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: St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School, 15 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: St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School, 15 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making Mrs Bathgate and myself so welcome when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed talking to many of you and finding out about your school. We also would like to thank your parents for returning so many questionnaires to us. They helped us to find out that your parents are very pleased with St Chad's. Your school is a happy place in which to learn and the staff are good at looking after you. You know that you can trust them and tell them if you are worried about anything. You work hard in your lessons and enjoy the many after-school activities. The teachers work hard to make sure that you are happy and healthy and that you have exciting lessons, and are helping you to grow up to be responsible adults. All in all, your school is good and there are many things to celebrate. In order to make it even better, we have identified just two things to improve. One of these is that some children in

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Year 3 and Year 4 need to do better in mathematics. You can help with this by telling your teachers if the work is too easy or too hard, and by always trying your best in lessons. The other area for improvement is for your teachers. They should come and check up on all the different subjects to make sure that you are making the most of all the opportunities you have to learn. Thank you for helping me with the inspection of your school. I hope that you will carry on working hard and continue to help your teachers make your school a good place in which to learn! 9 Inspection Report: St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School, 15 November 2006

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