Grindleford Primary School

Grindleford Primary School Inspection report

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112550 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 301756 Inspection number 24 °25 April 2007 Inspection dates Jane Melbourne 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 56 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Wendy Harby Chair Mrs Jacqueline Menzies-Conacher Headteacher 31 January 2000 Date of previous school inspection Sir William Hill School address Grindleford Hope Valley Derbyshire S32 2HS

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01433 630528 Telephone number Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 24 °25 April 2007 Inspection dates 301756 Inspection number .

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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

The school is a smaller than average primary school in a village to the south of the Peak District. It has three classrooms. Pupils are representative of the local community and are of White British origin. Attainment on entry is broadly average and there is a below average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Grindleford Primary School, 24 °25 April 2007

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory and improving school with many good features. The leadership of the relatively new headteacher is good and she has been instrumental in bringing about many positive changes. These include changing the organisation of the day for Year 3 and 4 pupils, working closely with the assessment co-ordinator to develop systems for accurately monitoring pupils' progress and ensuring that all pupils receive consistently good teaching. The governing body has also sought ways to secure stability in staffing, which have also had a positive impact on particular year groups. Overall, this has led to improved learning and the majority of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and /or disabilities are making good progress. Pupils' overall achievement is at least satisfactory. Although, where year groups have not received consistent teaching in the past pupils are not always achieving what is expected for

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Grade: 3

their age. Standards are in line or above what is expected in the Foundation Stage. Standards are well above the local and national expected levels in Key Stage 1, but not all pupils are reaching the expected levels in Key Stage 2, particularly in writing. However, a school focus on this and the introduction of periods of exciting writing has begun to bring about improvement. The school had below average results in science last year, although recent assessment shows that this has improved. The school has not always enabled the most capable pupils in Years 3 to 6 to achieve their potential. This is because they were not given sufficiently challenging targets and expectations were too low. Changes this year have been to set more realistic targets based on actual attainment and to also provide further enhancement to stimulate those pupils who are quick to learn. The quality of teaching and learning is now almost always good and as a result, pupils' progress

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Grade: 3

is improving. Lessons are well planned and teachers deliver lessons in a fun way, ensuring that they account for the full range of learners' needs. Pupils' enjoyment of lessons is high. They are guided well by teachers' thorough marking and consistent feedback on their work. The school provides some good quality support to those pupils who have been identified as needing additional help in their learning. This has been aided by the much improved systems of assessment and tracking pupil progress. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good, as is their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They behave well, show mutual respect and are learning to care for others in the school. Pupils understand how to stay safe and keep healthy. They are making a positive contribution to the school community. Through the school's focus on basic skills, with literacy and numeracy being given very practical and

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Grade: 3

meaningful application in lessons, pupils understand the purpose behind their learning and are better equipped for their future economic well being. The school is very ably led by a dedicated headteacher who, collectively with staff and governors, has a shared vision for the school and its improvement. However, leadership and management are satisfactory overall because the senior and subject leadership roles are relatively new and systems have not had time to embed, which is still making an impact on achievement overall. Governors have been wholly supportive, but have yet to take full ownership of their role in terms of monitoring and quality assurance. They have not fully ensured that the school addressed all of the points for improvement from the last inspection effectively and have not helped the school adequately to maintain or drive up standards further. Some monitoring in literacy and numeracy has begun, for example with the curriculum planning. More consistency in teaching

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Grade: 3

and learning has been achieved and improvements have been made which have begun to make a difference. The school has mostly evaluated itself accurately and has an appropriate 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Grindleford Primary School, 24 °25 April 2007 improvement plan with sensible and achievable priorities for development. With its new leadership and direction, the school now has a good capacity to improve. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next Section 5 inspection.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards at Key Stage 2, particularly in writing and science, and ensure that the high attaining pupils achieve the levels they are capable of. • Develop the self evaluation of the school to include more rigorous monitoring and develop the leadership across all subject areas. • Ensure that the governors take a more pro-active role in holding the school to account.

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Grade: 3

Achievement and standards are satisfactory overall, although pupils are achieving well and attaining or exceeding what is expected for their age by the end of the Foundation Stage. Key Stage 1 attainment consistently remains well above the national average in all subjects. In 2006, pupils did better in reading and writing than mathematics. An above average number of pupils exceeded the nationally expected levels, particularly in reading. In 2006, instability in staffing, ineffective teaching and learning and insufficiently challenging targets contributed to pupils not making enough progress from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 and, in Key Stage 2, standards fell significantly. Although pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 still remained broadly in line with the national average overall, they were slightly below what is expected for their age in science and not enough pupils achieved the higher levels in English or science.

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Grade: 3

However, all staff are beginning to make much better use of assessment data to track pupils' progress and this, along with greater stability and drive across the school means that virtually all pupils are now making good progress. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities do relatively well in tests compared to all pupils. They make good progress as they are identified early, receive some good quality support and are monitored carefully. There is no significant difference between the progress or achievement of boys and girls.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is good and is a strength of this happy school, where attendance is also good. Pupils want to come to school because they have such an enjoyable time there. They settle into school quickly. Pupils are well behaved and expectations for this are made clear. They take responsibility for their own actions and genuinely care about their school. Pupils work and play together safely. They have an understanding of keeping healthy and the importance of looking after the environment. Pupils make a positive contribution to the school community and are keen participants in the school council and the 'Eco Club'. Lessons are planned to ensure they spend a good proportion of time working independently, and so they learn to work together and help each other. These skills help to equip them well for the workplace and their future. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Grindleford Primary School, 24 °25 April 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also good. They have an excellent understanding of what is right and wrong. Their views are regularly consulted and taken seriously, as are those of their parents.

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Grade: 2

Lessons are now thoroughly planned and are of good quality, so pupils' enjoyment is high. Teachers now take greater account of pupils' differing learning styles. Pupils are recently making better progress in Key Stage 2, although with the legacy of not all teaching and learning being consistently good in the past, this has yet to impact fully on current achievement and standards. Since the arrival of the new headteacher, staff have completely updated assessment and tracking systems and they now make effective use of data to plan for pupils' needs. The challenges set for all pupils are high and pupils are clear about their literacy and numeracy targets. Staff are now providing more effectively for those children who are potentially high attainers; stimulation lessons are providing good learning opportunities.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Improvements have been made in the provision of information and communication technology (ICT). Computers are accessible in every classroom and in the new computer suite and all are in regular use. The school has given special emphasis to writing across all groups of pupils and to addressing the necessity to particularly improve Key Stage 2 results. The school makes good use of the expertise of recently appointed staff and of outside specialists, for example in the teaching of design and technology, which is very popular with the pupils. There is an extremely varied programme of visits and extra curricular activities for such a small school. Limitations of space have impacted on the provision of physical education, especially for pupils in the Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 who have too little opportunity to balance and climb and develop their large muscles. The school now has a cycle of reviewing and monitoring the curriculum, but recognises there

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Grade: 2

is more to do in this area to ensure this makes a difference to school improvement.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Pastoral care is a particularly strong feature of this friendly school. Staff evaluate lessons and continually check on pupils' understanding, enabling them to reinforce learning appropriately. Staff consistently, and regularly, inform pupils of what is good about their work and how they can improve. Pupils always find tasks challenging and are becoming adept at checking their own work and that of their fellow classmates. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are adequately met. Pupils receive some good quality individual support in the classroom and through target groups, 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Grindleford Primary School, 24 °25 April 2007 particularly for literacy, across the school. Pupils are well prepared for entry into the school and for transfer to the secondary school, with which there are strong links. Child protection procedures are understood and appropriately meet requirements. Pupils feel

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Grade: 2

safe at the school and know who to turn to in case of difficulty. Due to the recent anti-bullying campaign, pupils believe incidences of bullying are almost non-existent. All parents are satisfied that the school is a very happy and safe environment and that their child is well cared for and supported.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall, although the new headteacher is able and has achieved much in her brief time at the school. There is a team commitment to improving the school and in everyone doing their best for all pupils, ensuring that equality of opportunity is well promoted. In the past year, staff have successfully tackled most of the issues from the last inspection but some remain as ongoing, such as the curriculum leadership roles. The school is gradually updating curriculum policies to more effectively guide current practice and promote improvement, but the cycle is in its infancy. Effective procedures are now firmly established for pupils' assessment and tracking their progress, which is beginning to impact on pupils' learning and achievement. The leadership team and governors have together identified strengths and weaknesses, although more needs to be done in terms of self evaluation, particularly in science and the foundation

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Grade: 3

areas of the curriculum. The governing body has a purposeful and shared focus for the school, but has yet to be fully effective in quality assuring the school. It has however been responsible for making some wise decisions in securing staffing in Key Stage 2, which has had a positive impact on the pupils. Governor visits have not begun to sufficiently inform school improvement, although the school is now setting itself appropriate and challenging targets. Not enough had been done by governors to rigorously monitor all of the points for improvement required at the last inspection. Under the guidance of the new headteacher, and with the dedication of the current team, the school provides satisfactory value for money and is well placed to make any necessary improvements. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Grindleford Primary School, 24 °25 April 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Grindleford Primary School, 24 °25 April 2007

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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 3 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

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 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 1 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Grindleford Primary School, 24 °25 April 2007

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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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Grindleford Primary School, 24 °25 April 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

26 April 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Grindleford Primary School, Sir William Hill, Grindleford, Derbyshire, S32 2HS Thank you for being so helpful whilst I was inspecting your school. I very much enjoyed talking to you all. I was really impressed with Class 2's stories; Class 3's mental maths and Class 1 have really made me want to visit the island of Coll! What I like most about your school. • The fact that you all love coming to school and really enjoy your lessons. • The quality of your lessons and that you all get actively involved. • You are all making good progress and your progress is checked often. • Your teachers know those of you that find things more difficult and give you good support as soon as you need it. • Teachers give you challenging targets. • Because you get feedback on your work, you all know what to do to get better. • Your headteacher's leadership and all the staff being so determined to make this a good

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

school. • Your good behaviour and attitude to learning These are the things I have asked the school to do. • Raise standards at Key Stage 2, particularly in writing and science. Make sure that all the Year 6's do as well as they can in the end of year tests. • Check the quality of all the subjects and lessons often and I have asked teachers to really start to drive all subjects even further forward. • Ensure that the governors really ask Mrs Conacher for the information they need to keep a tight check on the school and keep on top of how you're all doing. I wish you all well for the future. Yours sincerely, Jane Melbourne Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Grindleford Primary School, 24 °25 April 2007

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