Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School

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125729 Unique Reference Number Warwickshire Local Authority 293347 Inspection number 11 October 2006 Inspection date Alison Grainger 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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Church Street School address Primary Type of school Barford Voluntary aided School category Warwick CV35 8EW 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01926 624244 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01926 624109 Fax number 114 Number on roll (school) Ann Fawcett Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Lindsey Oscroft Headteacher 24 June 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 293347 11 October 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

The school draws its pupils from the village of Barford and the surrounding area. It is popular and is growing in size. Almost all pupils are White British. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties is a little below average. When children enter the Reception Year, their attainment is a little above that 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: Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School, 11 October 2006

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Grade: 2

This good school continues to improve and already has some outstanding features. Parents are full of praise for the school and use words such as 'fantastic' to describe it. Many parents rightly identify the dedication and approachability of staff, as well as the strong leadership of the headteacher, as the main reasons for the school's success. Parents recognise that this a school in which each individual child matters. The pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Excellent behaviour results in the school being a very calm and orderly place. Pupils feel safe and well looked after, they know a lot about the importance of healthy eating and take regular exercise. They have good attitudes to learning, enjoy school a lot, and form positive relationships. The provision in the Reception Year is outstanding. Children make tremendous strides forward, building extremely well on the strengths in their attainment on entry. As a

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Grade: 2

result, standards are much higher than normally found at the end of the Foundation Stage. Good care and support for pupils begins from the moment they enter the Reception class. Achievement is good and standards are significantly above average. Pupils make good gains in relation to their starting points and capabilities as they move up from the start of Year 1 to the end of Year 6. In recent years, standards at the end of Year 2 have been exceptionally high in reading, writing and mathematics. Although good progress is made during Years 3 to 6 and standards are above average, there is some variation in how well pupils do in different subjects. In science, they do exceptionally well. They make good progress in English. In mathematics, steady progress is made and there are examples of individuals doing really well. Pupils capable of higher attainment do very well in science and reading, but not as many reach the higher level for their age in writing and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Good teaching and a good curriculum are the main cause of pupils' good academic progress. However, the quality of teachers' marking is inconsistent. It does not always tell pupils clearly what they are doing well and what they need to do next to make even more progress. The school recognises the need to develop its analysis of assessment data to help in setting priorities for development.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Increase pupils' overall rate of progress in mathematics in Years 3 to 6 and help even more to reach the higher level in both writing and mathematics. • Improve teachers' marking so that it consistently tells pupils what they are doing well and what they need to do next to make more progress. • Develop the analysis of assessment data to more sharply evaluate pupils' progress and identify areas for the school's development. 2 Inspection Report: Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School, 11 October 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good and standards are significantly above the national average. Children make an outstanding start in the Reception Year. Most reach the goals expected at the end of the school year and a large proportion exceeds them. Good progress in reading, writing and mathematics during Years 1 and 2 results in exceptionally high standards at the end of Year 2. Standards at the end of Year 6 are above average. These pupils did not reach the high standards at the end of Year 2 that pupils are now attaining. In science pupils make outstanding progress from the start of Year 3 to the end of Year 6. Progress is good in English and steady in mathematics. Some individual pupils make significant gains in mathematics, particularly those with learning difficulties. Many pupils reach the higher level for their age in reading and science at the end of Year 6, but fewer do so in writing and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) have improved since the last inspection and are now at the level expected. Overall standards in other subjects are at the expected level, although standards in music are higher.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Behaviour is excellent and, as a result, the school is a very calm and safe environment. Pupils know the importance of following safe practices, such as in physical education lessons. They are courteous and polite and form positive relationships. Their understanding of how to keep fit and healthy is good. Pupils enjoy coming to school, as the above-average attendance rate shows. They especially enjoy lessons in the ICT room. They make a strong contribution to the school community through the school council. Older pupils conscientiously undertake responsibilities, for example, as playground friends and prefects. Pupils contribute well to the wider community through involvement in village events and by raising funds for charities. Pupils are prepared well for their future lives. Although they learn about the wider

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Grade: 2

world, including other faiths, their awareness of the diversity of modern multi-ethnic society is a relatively weaker area. 3 Inspection Report: Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School, 11 October 2006

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Grade: 2

Good teaching and learning are the main reason for pupils' good achievement. Teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn and use every moment in lessons productively. Activities are managed well, with good teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants. In Years 1 and 2, for example, staff home in on pupils needing extra support or challenge. Good support for pupils with learning difficulties throughout the school ensures that they do well in reading, writing and mathematics. In the Reception Year, all these features are outstanding. There is considerable expertise in science among teachers in Years 3 to 6, the outcome of which is seen in pupils' excellent progress in this subject. However, not all activities are sharply enough matched to pupils' differing needs, for example, to ensure full challenge in all classes in mathematics. The school recognises the need to raise the level of challenge in mathematics and writing to get more pupils to the higher level

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Grade: 2

The good curriculum makes a strong contribution to pupils' personal development and to the standards they attain. The emphasis on reading, writing, mathematics and science ensures that pupils do well in these subjects. Provision in ICT has improved since the last inspection and is now satisfactory. The school recognises the need to develop the use of computers across the subjects. Music remains a strong feature. On the day of the inspection, as the school day ended, the building was filled with the sound of high quality singing. A good range of activities additional to lessons enriches pupils' experiences. Pupils have two residential visits in Years 3 to 6, as well as other visits and after-school clubs, including sports. In the Reception Year, a stimulating range of activities promotes very effective learning indoors and outside.

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Grade: 2

All staff work together effectively to provide pupils with good care, guidance and support. Parents speak highly of the level of personal care their children receive. Pupils feel safe and secure at school. They are sure that they have an adult to whom they can turn should the need arise and say that their views are listened to. Some academic guidance is very effective. In Years 5 and 6; for example, pupils are involved in reviewing their progress and get good feedback through marking. However, this quality of guidance is not consistent throughout the school. Teachers' marking 4 Inspection Report: Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School, 11 October 2006 does not always tell pupils clearly enough what they have done well and what they need to do next to make even better progress.

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Grade: 2

As the parents identify, good leadership and management are at the heart of the school's success. They are the reason why it already has some outstanding features and why it is continuing to improve. The headteacher provides a strong and clear educational direction and has high expectations of staff and pupils. As a result, there is good staff teamwork, and pupils have good attitudes to learning and behave impeccably. Sensibly, a new senior management team has been formed to take account of the school's growth in size. Responsibilities are shared among key staff. Governors hold the school to account effectively. The chair of governors, in particular, has a strong understanding of the school's strengths and of how it could be even better. Self-evaluation is good and the school recognises that the analysis of assessment data needs further development. The school has good capacity for further improvement.

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School, 11 October 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: Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School, 11 October 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 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 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 1 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: Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School, 11 October 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: Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School, 11 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for helping me when I visited your school. I enjoyed finding out about your school and talking with you. I found that your school is good and that it is getting even better. It already has some outstanding features. You told me that you feel safe at school and that the adults look after you well. I know that this is something that really pleases your parents and carers. One of the reasons why your school is such a calm and pleasant place is that your behaviour is excellent. You are polite and helpful young people. You have good attitudes in lessons and this helps you to learn well and to make good progress. The teaching is good and you have a good range of learning opportunities. As a result, you are doing well with your school work and reach above-average standards. The children in the Reception Year get off to a flying start and make excellent progress. Your parents are pleased with how well all the adults work together for you and with how well

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your headteacher leads the school. Because all the adults want to make the school even better, there are some things that I have asked them to do. I have asked the school to make sure that by the time you reach Year 6 you have made as much progress in mathematics as in science and English. I have asked them to see if even more of you can reach the higher levels in writing and mathematics because so many of you get there in reading and science. I have also asked the teachers to make sure that their marking always tells you what you do well and what you could do even better. The school can be made even better if the adults look carefully at how well you are getting on with your work. So, this is something else that they will be doing. Thank you once again for welcoming me to your school. 9 Inspection Report: Barford St Peter's CofE Primary School, 11 October 2006

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