Drayton Parslow Village School

Drayton Parslow Village School Inspection report

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110222 Unique Reference Number Buckinghamshire Local Authority 310225 Inspection number 23 June 2008 Inspection date Alan Jarvis 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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Infant Type of school Community School category 4 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 39 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Matthew Williams Chair Mrs Alexandra Owens Headteacher 25 April 2005 Date of previous school inspection Main Street School address Drayton Parslow Milton Keynes MK17 0JR 01296 720306 Telephone number 01296 720306 Fax number

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4-7 Age group 23 June 2008 Inspection date 310225 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 an Additional Inspector. This was a coordinated inspection carried out at the same time as the inspections of Swanbourne Church of England VA School and Mursley Church of England School. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the effectiveness of leadership and management at all levels, how well pupils are progressing and achieving and how they respond to the range of opportunities the school offers. Evidence was gathered from the analysis of pupils' progress, scrutiny of samples of their work, observation of lessons, parents' questionnaires, discussions with the headteacher, a governor and pupils. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

The school is much smaller than average. Around two thirds of pupils come from out of the school's designated catchment area. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. All pupils are of White British backgrounds. Drayton Parslow, Mursley and Swanbourne Schools have worked in close collaboration since September 2007.

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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: Drayton Parslow Village School, 23 June 2008

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Grade: 1

Drayton Parslow is an outstanding school. One parent commented on the rapid progress that pupils make in their learning when stating, 'The school has been fantastic for my son and he is progressing very well'. Pupils' personal development and well-being are also first class. Commenting on this another parent wrote, 'My daughter's confidence has grown beyond my expectations'. The school has become a magnet for parents from nearby urban areas who value the excellent education this small school offers. The headteacher's crystal clear vision, high expectations and innovative work lie at the heart of the school's success. The high quality teaching, the very well established curriculum and rigorous systems for monitoring how well pupils and the school are doing offer a beacon of outstanding practice for others to follow. The headteacher has been successful in ensuring that leadership and management is working exceptionally well at all other levels within the school.

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Grade: 1

For example, the literacy and numeracy coordinators, who are based at Drayton Parslow, ensure provision in their areas is first class. This has a very strong impact on pupils' progress. The astute governors are working extremely closely with those at Mursley and Swanbourne Schools. They are successfully ensuring that the opportunities this collaboration provides far outweigh any teething problems. This year, for example, Drayton Parslow pupils have benefited from specialist teaching in music, physical education and religious education and pupils in the three schools come together much more. However, the governors are aware that a few parents feel that the headteacher is not as contactable as before. Effective steps have been taken to address this. Standards at the end of Year 2 have been exceptionally high for the past five years and remain so this year. From an above average starting point at the start of Year 1 pupils make rapid

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Grade: 1

progress. There are many reasons for this. Most importantly, the teaching and learning across subjects is consistently challenging to pupils of all abilities because it is very well matched to their individual needs. For example, as some able pupils said, 'We never get bored because we get the hard work to do'. Pupils behave exceptionally well, are extremely keen to give of their best and so not a moment is wasted in lessons. As far as possible learning is set in real life contexts and this helps motivate and capitalise on pupils' interests. More adults than is typically seen support the teacher in class including very skilled teaching assistants. This ensures any help and support is readily available to any pupil who needs it. Pupils' progress is charted extremely carefully and discussed in detail at regular staff meetings. As a result, the senior leaders and all adults supporting the class know the pupils 'inside out'

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Grade: 1

and use this information to keep the pupils working at the edge of their capabilities. Parents also receive weekly information via newsletters and the school website on what their children are learning each week. This helps them support their children at home. All of these factors are well established and work together like a well-tuned machine resulting in the first rate progress. Pupils thrive because of the high quality and wide range of learning opportunities on offer. This ensures the gains in their personal development are equal to their excellent academic progress. Pupils particularly like the wide range of clubs and activities which are offered everyday after school and which help develop their social skills, environmental awareness and enjoyment of learning. The collaboration between the three schools has strengthened this. There is something to suit all tastes. The nature club where pupils have gone for walks in the local

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Grade: 1

4 of 9 Inspection Report: Drayton Parslow Village School, 23 June 2008 woods, choir and inside/outside clubs are very popular. Topic work is a very strong feature of the excellent curriculum, and motivates pupils. As one parent commented, 'My son has become very knowledgeable as a result of the topic-based approach'. This work, and the extremely good links that have been forged with the local community, helps pupils develop a very good awareness of the world around them. However, the school acknowledges that there is scope to develop international links to help pupils appreciate the lives and beliefs of people that are much different from their own. During the inspection, the Vicar successfully enhanced pupils' spiritual and social awareness in an exciting assembly. His empathetic manner and warmth of character did much to help pupils understand the importance of faith, the beauty of the world around them and the importance of being good to others. Pupils have a strong say in helping

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Grade: 1

to make the school better. Beside acting as playground and water monitors they have, for example, 'adopted' tyres in the playground and planted them with beautiful flowers. Visits such as those to the Dinosaur Museum in Oxford, local supermarkets and places of interest also help bring the curriculum alive. These do much to foster pupils' independence and develop skills that will help them in later life. All these opportunities together with the excellent care that is provided cement the outstanding development of pupils' personal skills. The headteacher really has brought out the best of this small school and there is a relentless focus on seeking continual improvement. For example, leaders and managers are continuing to hone the already very good marking, targets in writing, and provision for gifted and talented pupils to maintain its cutting edge. The school has an excellent capacity to improve further

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Grade: 1

and influence the work of the other schools in the collaboration.

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Grade: 2

Children join the school with a range of capabilities, although overall these are generally in line with what is expected for their age. They are helped to quickly settle in the Reception class, and high quality teaching ensures that they make good progress in all areas of learning, so that their standards are above average by the start of Year 1. The children are very well supported by skilled teaching assistants who work in close harmony with the teacher. Children have challenging targets which are written on paper kites in the classroom which they regularly meet. Parents are particularly pleased with their children's social development. One expressed delight that, 'My son was very quiet and nervous when he first started but he is now much more outgoing'. Facilities for the Foundation Stage are good and the playground offers many different learning opportunities. Its use, however, is limited by the lack of any covered area.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Forge more international links and provide more experiences for pupils to develop their understanding of how people live in other parts of the world. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Drayton Parslow Village School, 23 June 2008 .

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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: Drayton Parslow Village School, 23 June 2008

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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 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 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?

1 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: Drayton Parslow Village School, 23 June 2008

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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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 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: Drayton Parslow Village School, 23 June 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

03 July 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Drayton Parslow Village School,Milton Keynes,MK17 0JR This letter is to tell you about the findings of your recent inspection. I enjoyed visiting your school and speaking to those of you who told me how much they enjoyed coming to school. You go to an outstanding school which many of your parents appreciate is helping you grow in confidence and make rapid gains in your learning. As you know Drayton Parslow is now working much more closely with Mursley and Swanbourne Schools. You enjoy the wide range of clubs and activities the school offers. The teachers who are now coming into school to help you in subjects like music, physical education and religious education help you to learn even more through the topics you study. Some of you told me you really learn a lot in lessons. I found out that the progress you make is so good that, by the end of Year 2, you reach standards which are exceptionally high and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

amongst the best in the country for your age. Many things help this including the challenging work you constantly receive, the high numbers of adults who help you in the classroom, the very skilled teaching assistants and your excellent behaviour. You told me that topic work is really interesting. I agree. Your teachers plan some excellent things for you to do. The many clubs and activities, the good work done by the school council, the visits you have made to places such as the Dinosaur Museum in Oxford help a great deal in developing you as individuals. I was particularly impressed by the assembly in which the Vicar helped you understand some of the mysteries of the world and the importance of being good to each other. Your headteacher has ensured that you make the very best start possible to your education. She and her staff work hard to ensure that the teaching you receive is excellent and helps you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

reach the challenging targets that are set for you. They are always looking at ways to make the school better. This year you may have noticed that they have marked your work even better and set up a challenge club for some of you. I have asked them to provide more opportunities for you to learn about how people live in other parts of the world. This might be something you can explore in your topic work. Yours sincerely, Dr. Alan Jarvis Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Drayton Parslow Village School, 23 June 2008

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