Cranford Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Cranford Church of England Primary School

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121966 Unique Reference Number Northamptonshire LEA 294358 Inspection number 24 May 2006 to 25 May 2006 Inspection dates Andrew Mcdowall HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to cause any school to be inspected. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Church Lane School address Primary Type of school Cranford Voluntary controlled School category Kettering, Northamptonshire NN14 4AE 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01536 330300 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01536 330300 Fax number 74 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs L Schneidereit Headteacher 7 February 2005 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 294358 24 May 2006 - 4 to 11 25 May 2006 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 of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average school. Approximately two thirds of the children attending the school come from outside the village. The number of children with learning difficulties is broadly average and there are no children who have English as an additional language. The school has recently undergone a significant building programme to improve the accommodation. When the school was inspected in February 2005 it was judged to require special measures.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Cranford Church of England Primary School, 24 May 2006 to 25 May 2006

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Grade: 3

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. The school has made good progress since the inspection in February 2005 and now provides a satisfactory standard of education. It has the capacity to continue to improve and provides satisfactory value for money. Children starting the school generally have above average skills and abilities and make satisfactory progress in the Reception class. Standards throughout the school are generally above average. Overall the children make satisfactory progress although there are a few small groups who are not doing as well as they could. The school is getting better at identifying which children need extra help, although occasionally action could be taken more quickly in providing the necessary support. Personal development is good. The children are well cared for and receive good

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Grade: 3

guidance on how to improve their work. They like school and behave well. Most say they enjoy their lessons. They help to set their own targets but are not sufficiently involved in reviewing them to see how they have done. Leadership and management have improved considerably since the last inspection and are now satisfactory. Other teachers are increasingly involved in sharing the leadership of the school and this is improving the quality of teaching and learning in the school, which is now satisfactory. The school recognises that more needs to be done to improve staff skills in evaluation. Some opportunities to practise literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects are missed.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in English, mathematics and science by continuing to use the information the school has about the children’s work to quickly target support to enable all children to make good progress. • Improve opportunities for the children to practise their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. • Involve the children in assessing how successful they have been in achieving their targets. • Continue to develop the skills of subject leaders to enable them to check on standards and the quality of teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility more effectively.

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Grade: 3

Achievement and standards are satisfactory. The children’s attainment on entry to the school varies from year to year but is generally at least average. Children make satisfactory progress during their time in the Reception class and reach standards that are generally above average by the end of their first year. In 2005 the pupils in Years 2 Inspection Report: Cranford Church of England Primary School, 24 May 2006 to 25 May 2006 2 and 6 made satisfactory progress. They reached above average standards in English, mathematics and science, with a good proportion reaching the higher Level 3 in reading in Year 2, and the higher Level 5 in English and science in Year 6. Standards in the present Year 2 and Year 6 are not as high but are broadly average and represent satisfactory progress. The school is getting better at identifying where children are not doing as well as they could and taking action to improve this although, sometimes,

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Grade: 3

action could be taken more quickly. Where extra support has been provided some children have made very good progress in a short period of time. The school is setting appropriately challenging targets for the future and this is also having a positive impact on the progress children make. However, there are small groups of children in each class that are not doing as well as they could. Children with learning difficulties make satisfactory progress.

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Grade: 2

The children’s personal development is good. Most of the children are confident and display very positive attitudes to school and their work. Behaviour is good in school and the children show consideration for each other in lessons and at playtimes. The school provides good opportunities for the children to exercise through the sports clubs and the wide range of playground equipment. Residential visits abroad effectively promote social development and self reliance. The school council is involved in the life of the school and children have made sensible suggestions to improve the playground and asked to be more involved in setting their own targets. Attendance is good. The children say they enjoy school and feel safe; they report that incidents of bullying are rare. The children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. The children have a strong sense of what is right and wrong and show

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Grade: 2

good levels of consideration for others both in the village and in the wider world. Cultural development is satisfactory; more needs to be done to develop the children’s understanding of life in an ethnically diverse society. The children have satisfactory basic skills and this prepares them adequately for the next stage in their education and later life.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Relationships between staff and children are good and because there is mutual respect in the school the children behave well in lessons. The teachers are making better use of the information they have on each child’s performance to set appropriate work for the majority of children to do to help them improve. On occasions the teachers are not clear enough about what they are expecting the children to do in the lesson. Consequently, some children do not make as much progress as they could because they are not working as hard as they can. Teaching assistants make a positive contribution to the quality of teaching and 3 Inspection Report: Cranford Church of England Primary School, 24 May 2006 to 25 May 2006 learning. They are active partners in the classrooms and provide good support to children with learning difficulties. The children are increasingly involved in setting

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Grade: 3

their own targets and this is improving the quality of learning as the children know what they need to do to improve. However, they are not sufficiently involved in assessing how well they have done and whether or not they have achieved their targets.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It is soundly planned, although currently some opportunities to make links between subjects are missed and this fragments the learning for the children. For example, opportunities to apply literacy and numeracy skills and knowledge in other subjects are underdeveloped. The school recognises this weakness and has sound plans in place to address it. The school is flexible in the way it timetables subjects and this enables the teachers to spend blocks of time on subjects such as art; the children like this approach. The school provides a good range of clubs and other activities for the children. Local trips and residential visits abroad enrich the curriculum. Many children have the opportunity to play a musical instrument. The programmes for personal, social and health education provide appropriate opportunities for the children to learn about what constitutes a healthy lifestyle.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. There is a strong commitment to the care of the children from all staff. Relationships are very good and the children feel able to talk to their teachers if they have a problem. The staff are aware of and follow the prescribed child protection procedures but some of the school’s written guidance is in need of updating. The school works well with other agencies to support children with learning difficulties and the links with local schools are effective in providing additional experiences for the children. The school council meets regularly and has influence on school decisions. For example, the children asked to be more involved in setting their own targets and the staff now promote this approach. The children receive good guidance on how to stay safe and healthy. The children know their targets and the teachers mark their work well.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher has a sound understanding of what the school needs to do to continue to improve. She is well supported by other staff who are growing in confidence and beginning to lead their subjects well. More needs to be done to build on this good start in order to bring greater clarity and rigour to the way subject leaders identify strengths and weaknesses in the school. However, the school’s evaluation of its own performance is becoming 4 Inspection Report: Cranford Church of England Primary School, 24 May 2006 to 25 May 2006 more accurate and is now satisfactory. The school has established effective systems to check on the progress of each child. This is having a positive impact on the progress they are making because the school can now identify when children need extra help to improve. The way in which the school checks on the quality of teaching has improved

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Grade: 3

and is satisfactory. Sometimes the school does not act quickly enough in deciding what to do, consequently time is lost that could be used to build on the improvements the school has made. The governors know the school well. They are rigorous in the way they challenge the school to improve. Parents and children are consulted on how the school can improve and action is taken where possible to respond to issues raised. For example, some parents were actively involved in the development of the playground. The school has made good progress in addressing the issues from the last inspection and has the capacity to improve further. The school provides satisfactory value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Cranford Church of England Primary School, 24 May 2006 to 25 May 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Cranford Church of England Primary School, 24 May 2006 to 25 May 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Can I start by saying a big thank you to everyone for being so helpful to me when I visited your school recently? These are the things that I liked about your school. I think everyone has worked really hard to help your school improve. You behave well in school and almost all of you work hard in lessons. Your teachers organise good clubs and trips for you. You all get on well together and enjoy school. All the people working at your school care about you and work hard to help you get better at your work. To make your school even better I have asked the school to: make sure you get even better at your work in English, mathematics and science by acting quickly to give you extra help when you need it involve you more in seeing if you have reached your targets give the teachers more opportunities to watch each other teach and check on your work so that they really know what is good and what needs to improve

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

find ways to help you improve your literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects. Thank you again for all your help in the inspection and good luck for the future.

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