Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Inspection report

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106627 Unique Reference Number Barnsley Local Authority 309181 Inspection number 15 November 2007 Inspection date John Rutherford 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 Voluntary controlled School category 5 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 108 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr AV Kent Chair Miss Erica Pursley Headteacher 24 March 2003 Date of previous school inspection Taylor Hill School address Cawthorne Barnsley South Yorkshire S75 4HB 01226 790447 Telephone number 01226 792848 Fax number

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5-11 Age group 15 November 2007 Inspection date 309181 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. As part of Ofsted's professional development programme another HMI was present observing the inspection. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: pupils' achievement and standards, the school's use of assessment, leadership and management, and the quality of the Foundation Stage. Evidence was gathered from the school's self-evaluation form and other management documentation, lesson observations, samples of pupils' work, teachers' plans, records of pupils' progress, and discussions with the headteacher, members of staff and pupils. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail. The inspector found evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were accurate. Where appropriate, inspection judgements for these areas have

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Description of the school

This smaller than average school is situated in a village in an area of above average social and economic advantage. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. Very few pupils are from a minority ethnic group or speak English as an additional language. A below average percentage of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 15 November

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good quality of education. It has outstanding features in the curriculum and in pupils' personal development and well-being. The overwhelming majority of parents who returned the pre-inspection questionnaire are fully supportive of the school, placing particular value on its role in the local community. Pupils enjoy coming to the school very much and taking advantage of the wide range of interesting activities provided. Their attendance and behaviour is excellent. Pupils start school with knowledge and skills that are generally better than is typical for their age. By the time they leave in Year 6 standards, overall, are well above average. Pupils generally make good progress, however there are some variations. In mathematics and reading progress is very good and pupils reach very high standards. In writing, on the other hand, pupils make satisfactory progress. In science, pupils' progress has recently improved and is now good as a

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Grade: 2

result of a greater emphasis on practical investigation. In general, the rate of progress is uneven as pupils pass through the school. Pupils who are lower attainers or who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because they receive well planned support from teaching assistants. The inspection evidence supports the school's evaluation of teaching as good. Lessons are interesting and the teaching style captures the interest of pupils while maintaining a calm, purposeful atmosphere. Pupils have very good attitudes to learning and they are very keen to answer questions. They have a clear understanding of their personal targets for writing and mathematics and are motivated to achieve them. Lessons have a good pace of learning and provide plenty of time for pupils to work on activities that help them to consolidate their new skills. During activities, teachers give good guidance to pupils on how they can improve their

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Grade: 2

work further. Teaching assistants provide good support in lessons. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used effectively to extend pupils' knowledge and skills. Pupils' rate of progress through the school is variable because assessment information is not always used effectively to plan lessons at the correct level of challenge. Progress in writing is hampered because pupils have insufficient opportunity to develop skills in presenting their own ideas for a range of different purposes. One reason for this is the overuse of commercial worksheets in lessons. The school judges the curriculum to be outstanding and inspection evidence supports this. Careful planning ensures that pupils in mixed-age classes do not miss or repeat any work. A broad and very rich range of experiences is provided, with a strong emphasis on music, art, physical education and French. ICT is a particular strength and teachers use this effectively to

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Grade: 2

support learning in many subjects. There is very good provision for pupils to learn about other cultures and their own heritage. Pupils gain very good first-hand experiences through frequent trips to places of interest and work in the local community. The curriculum makes a strong contribution to pupils' personal development and well-being, for example through visits by a nurse and a fire officer. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Their spiritual awareness is a particular strength and this was demonstrated during the inspection by their participation in an act of collective worship about love. They have a very good understanding of the contribution they can make to the welfare of others through a range of charitable activities. The school's partnership with the local church provides very good support for this work. Pupils' 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 15 November

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Grade: 2

personal development and well-being are outstanding. They have a very good understanding of the importance of diet and exercise to a healthy lifestyle, and they feel safe in school. They show very good skills and confidence in working independently and in taking responsibility for tasks that help the smooth running of the school. Their personal qualities combined with their achievements in basic academic skills give them a very good foundation for their future education. The school provides very good care for the pupils. Health and safety weaknesses reported in the previous inspection have been effectively tackled. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides a strong direction for the best possible all-round achievement for every pupil and this commitment is shared by the staff. The headteacher and teachers with leadership responsibilities regularly monitor the quality of teaching and learning and they provide constructive feedback to help colleagues improve their

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Grade: 2

practice. They analyse data accurately to ensure all aspects of the curriculum are being sufficiently covered, but they are not using it effectively to enable all pupils to accelerate their progress. The leadership team recognises this and is beginning to introduce a better process. This is part of a development plan that provides a good programme for raising achievement and standards. The governing body provides good support and challenge to the school, directly related to priorities for improvement.

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage currently contains five children who work in the Year 1 class. Good planning ensures that these children receive a curriculum broadly appropriate to their learning needs and that they make good progress. There is good provision for all the Foundation Stage areas of learning and a balance during each day of adult-directed activity and activity chosen by the child. A teaching assistant works in good partnership with the teacher to ensure that the children meet their learning objectives for each activity. His discussion with the children helps them to extend their language skills. There is a systematic approach to collecting evidence of children's achievements in all the areas for learning and using it to inform future planning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Make more effective use of assessment information to plan lessons.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve pupils' writing skills in a range of contexts. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 15 November .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 15 November

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 15 November

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 15 November

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Barnsley, S75 4HB Thank you very much for your help when I came to inspect your school on 15 November along with my colleague, Vincent Ashworth HMI. You were all very helpful and courteous. Vincent and I learned much about your school from our conversation with you at lunchtime and we would like to say a special thank you to the pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 who came to answer our questions. You helped us to make our judgements on your school and I now wish to tell you what these are. Your school is a good one. The headteacher and staff help you to make good progress in your work. They provide interesting lessons for you and help you to learn a whole range of skills in ICT, music, art, French and many other subjects. You benefit from frequent visits to places of interest; you do some good work in your own village and you learn much about other cultures

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

as well. You are very enthusiastic about your work and keen to achieve your personal targets. Your teachers also help you to become responsible young people with a good understanding of how you can help others who are less fortunate than you. The headteacher and staff are determined that you will get the very best education possible. I have pointed out two ways in which they can improve your progress even further. I have asked them to make sure that your lessons give each of you a good amount of challenge and that you develop more skills in writing. You have your part to play as well, especially by working very hard on longer pieces of writing that you have planned. Having seen you at work, I know that you will enjoy rising to this challenge. 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Cawthorne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 15 November

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