Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection Report Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

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134977 Unique Reference Number Wiltshire Local Authority 294237 Inspection number 13 September 2006 Inspection date David Curtis 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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Cherry Orchard School address Primary Type of school Codford Voluntary aided School category Warminster BA12 0PN 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01985 850461 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01985 850461 Fax number 126 Number on roll (school) Sue Jiggens Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Debi Downing Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 294237 13 September 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This small village primary school opened in April 2005 following the federation of two schools. The school is on two sites. At Steeple Langford there are two classes for pupils aged four to eight. At Codford there are four classes for pupils aged four to 11. Most pupils are White British with a small proportion coming from minority ethnic families. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is below the national average. Children start school with standards that are broadly average for four-year-olds.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 September 2006

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Grade: 2

'A vibrant learning environment with a caring ethos and happy atmosphere' is a parent's accurate description of this good school The headteacher, staff and governors have created a school in which pupils love learning. Good leadership and management have been very effective in ensuring that pupils on both sites receive the same quality of good teaching and learning. As a result, pupils' achievement is good and standards are well above average at the end of Year 6. Children want to come to school from the day they start in Reception. Teaching and learning for children in Reception are good which enables them to make good progress, especially in their personal, social and emotional development. From Year 1 onwards, pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They enjoy lessons, especially those that are 'fun' and where 'teachers explain things to us and help us if we get stuck'. They are confident in asking and answering questions. Pupils feel safe in school.

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Grade: 2

As one put it, 'School makes me feel warm and safe; it's cool!' Pupils through the school council make a strong contribution to day-to-day life. The imminent refurbishment of the toilets is due to their efforts. Pupils enjoy sport and are very aware of the importance of keeping fit and eating healthily. Year 6 pupils show a very mature understanding of their role in school and in the community. Attendance is good which reflects pupils' enthusiasm for school. Pupils work hard in most lessons because teaching interests and challenges them. They are enthused when teachers make good use of the interactive whiteboards to gain their interest. There are a few lessons though where teachers' planning does not meet the needs of more-able pupils. As a result, they are not doing as well as they could. Good teaching encourages pupils to behave well in lessons and around the school. Through consultation with parents and pupils, the school has expanded its range of

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Grade: 2

extra-curricular activities, which are well attended. These clubs, together with an exciting range of visits and visitors, contribute successfully to the school's curriculum. The headteacher, staff and governors are determined to give pupils a rich curriculum and this is evident in French being taught to all classes. Much of the school's success is due to the vision and drive of the headteacher, ably supported by her deputy. She has managed successfully a significant period of change, including new teachers being appointed. The headteacher, staff and governors have a detailed understanding of where the school is now and where it needs to go next. As a result its capacity for further improvement is good. The checking of the quality of teaching and learning at both sites is a strength of the headteacher's work and that of governors. A number of the newly appointed subject managers are not sufficiently

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Grade: 2

trained in checking teaching and learning and as a result are not sufficiently aware of pupils' progress. Governors invite the chair of the school council to their meetings in order that they have a clear understanding of pupils' views. 2 Inspection Report: Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 September 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve teachers' planning so that it is matched closely to the abilities of all pupils, especially the more able. • Provide training for newly appointed subject managers in monitoring teaching and learning in order that they have a greater awareness of pupils' progress.

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Grade: 2

Children make good progress in Reception and by the time they start Year 1, most have exceeded the goals they are expected to achieve. The results of the national tests in 2006 for pupils in Year 2 were broadly average. In Year 6, standards were well above average in English, mathematics and science. Achievement is good. Pupils with learning difficulties make good progress. More-able pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable, especially when teaching does not challenge them. Across the school pupils are very confident in speaking and listening.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is good. They show the ability to reflect sensitively on issues, such as the importance of 'Fair Trade'. Pupils have a strong sense of taking responsibility for themselves and each other. Year 6 pupils are very supportive of new children when they start school. Relationships are good and pupils enjoy working together. A good example of this was in a Year 4 drama lesson where a group of eight pupils created a very imaginative 'working machine'. Occasionally, small numbers of boys find it hard to concentrate in lessons and do not always respect the views of their peers.

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Grade: 2

Teachers' subject knowledge is good and they make effective use of interactive whiteboards to demonstrate and explain new ideas to pupils. Relationships are good, with teachers making effective use of praise to encourage and support pupils. In a Year 4 drama lesson, pupils made very good progress because they were praised for their efforts. Pupils really enjoy assessing their own work, especially in literacy and numeracy. They say that it helps them to tell their teacher about their own strengths and weaknesses in learning. They have great confidence that teachers will support them where things are not clear. Planning at times does not sufficiently challenge more-able pupils, for example in not giving them new learning in areas where their understanding is already good'. 3 Inspection Report: Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 September 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Pupils benefit from a wide range of activities, which has a positive impact on their love of learning. They talk, for example, with great interest and enthusiasm about art and design. On occasions, the curriculum does not meet fully the needs of more-able pupils. There is a good range of extra-curricular activities covering art, music and sport. The school uses effective links with a local secondary school to provide specialist teaching for physical education.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Pupils value the personal targets they are set, especially for literacy and numeracy. They say that it really helps having specific targets matched to their own ability levels. Pupils would like these targets extended to other subjects because they know such targets help them to make good progress in their learning. Pupils with learning difficulties receive good support from teachers and teaching assistants. The school's procedures for safeguarding its pupils are good and all statutory policies are fully in place, including arrangements for child protection.

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Grade: 2

A significant strength of leadership and management is the way in which the school regularly seeks the views of parents and pupils about the school's work. In addition, governors hold termly meetings with parents run in parallel with the end-of-term disco for pupils. As a result of this effective communication, the transition to a federated school ran smoothly and the new school has the full support of most parents. Significant improvements to the quality of school lunches are a direct result of consulting with parents. Governors are knowledgeable and hard working. They know the school's strengths and areas for development because of their effective systems for monitoring the school's work. The school is very aware of its strengths and weaknesses and has made good progress in the time that it has been open in giving pupils a good quality of education. Many of the subject leaders are new in post or new to the school. At present, they are

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Grade: 2

not sufficiently aware of pupils' progress and achievement because they have not been trained in monitoring teaching and learning. 4 Inspection Report: Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 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. 5 Inspection Report: Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 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 NA 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. 6 Inspection Report: Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 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? 7 Inspection Report: Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for making us feel so welcome when we visited your school. In particular may we say a big thank you to those of you in Year 6 who gave up part of your lunchtime to meet with us? All of you are very lucky to go to such a good school. These are some of the things that we thought were especially good: • You told us that your lessons are good, particularly those that are fun and where teachers help you if you get stuck. • You enjoy being at school and this is shown in your good attendance. • Many of you in Year 6 are very good at helping the new children in Reception to settle down in their very first days at school. • You like having targets in literacy and numeracy because they help you to understand how you can improve your work. • You enjoy the subjects you are taught, with art being a particular favourite. There are two things we have asked your headteacher and teachers to do in order to make your

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

school even better. These are: • That when planning your lessons teachers make sure that work challenges you and is not too easy. • To give training for those teachers who are new to being responsible for subjects so they can check up on how well you are being taught. 8 Inspection Report: Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 September 2006

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Annex B

Wylye Valley CE VA Primary School Cherry Orchard Codford Wiltshire BA12 0PN

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Annex B

Thank you very much for making us feel so welcome when we visited your school. In particular may we say a big thank you to those of you in Year 6 who gave up part of your lunchtime to meet with us? All of you are very lucky to go to such a good school.

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Annex B

These are some of the things that we thought were especially good:

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Annex B

• You told us that your lessons are good, particularly those that are fun and where teachers help you if you get stuck. • You enjoy being at school and this is shown in your good attendance. • Many of you in Year 6 are very good at helping the new children in Reception to settle down in their very first days at school. • You like having targets in literacy and numeracy because they help you to understand how you can improve your work. • You enjoy the subjects you are taught, with art being a particular favourite.

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Annex B

There are two things we have asked your headteacher and teachers to do in order to make your school even better. These are:

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Annex B

• That when planning your lessons teachers make sure that work challenges you and is not too easy. • To give training for those teachers who are new to being responsible for subjects so they can check up on how well you are being taught.

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