St Mary's Wavendon CofE Primary

St Mary's Wavendon CE Primary Inspection report

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110439 Unique Reference Number Milton Keynes Local Authority 310305 Inspection number 26 March 2008 Inspection date Arnalena (Nina) Bee 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 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 99 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Tracy Lawson Chair Mrs Susan Vint Headteacher 16 June 2003 Date of previous school inspection Walton Road School address Wavendon Milton Keynes MK17 8LH 01908 582182 Telephone number 01908 584048 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 26 March 2008 Inspection date 310305 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. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: achievement in all parts of the school; how well the teaching and the tracking of progress enable all pupil groups to achieve, and the quality of the curriculum and care, guidance and support offered to pupils. During the day, evidence was gathered from the school's self-evaluation, the school's own assessment and tracking data and other school documentation. Observations were made of the school at work and interviews were held with senior leaders and managers, governors and pupils. Evidence was also provided by parent questionnaires. 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

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Description of the school

St Mary's Wavendon Church of England Primary School is smaller than average. Most pupils come from White British backgrounds. In September 2005, the school changed from a first to a primary school. This year is the first time the school has had a Year 6 class. A significant number of pupils have joined this cohort since Year 2. The proportion of pupils who have difficulties acquiring basic literacy and language skills is average. However, numbers are not distributed evenly throughout the school. Children generally start school with levels of attainment that are expected for their ages. Year groups are often small. These issues cause some year-on-year variations in standards.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: St Mary's Wavendon CE Primary, 26 March 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a very welcoming school, which provides a good quality of education for its pupils. Parents are supportive of the work of the school. They say that their children enjoy attending and this is reflected in the above average attendance. All pupils are well looked after and cared for. Pupils say they feel safe in school and that, if they have a problem, there is always someone to help them. They are well prepared for their next school by the time they leave. This school turns out confident, well-rounded individuals, who are respectful and able to get on with everyone they meet. This is because there is good provision for pupils to develop personal and social skills. Pupils' personal development is good. Their understanding of the importance of being fit and healthy is outstanding. Pupils know all about balanced diets, try to eat sensibly and participate enthusiastically in the many sporting activities they are offered. They know how important it

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Grade: 2

is to keep themselves safe, follow rules very sensibly and have an outstanding awareness of the potential dangers they may come up against in their future lives. For example, as they talk about the difference between prescription drugs and other drugs that are not safe and how important it is to be careful near railways and roads. Pupils take on responsibilities such as being a member of the school council very seriously. Older pupils speak maturely about how and why they raise money for people who are less fortunate than themselves. A key to pupils' good achievement and the school's success is the good leadership and management. The headteacher is passionate that everyone, staff and pupils, enjoy their time in school and most importantly, that all pupils achieve their best both academically and personally. As a result, pupils speak and even sing during assembly about the importance of 'learning'. Since the school changed its status from a first to a primary school, three years ago,

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Grade: 2

there have been many changes. The main one is a large extension to the existing school building. This has included new classrooms, a spacious hall and major enhancement of the outside playing areas. The learning environment has improved tremendously. Despite all this upheaval, good progress and the good quality care and personal support have been maintained. Improvement since the previous inspection has been very good in this respect. Older pupils, who have seen the changes, are very appreciative of their wonderful new facilities, especially those for physical education. Expectations are high in all that the pupils do, and the school is working well to reach the challenging targets that it sets for pupils. The systems that monitor the quality of teaching and track pupils' progress are thorough and enable the headteacher to have a clear view of where extra support is needed. Teachers play an important part in checking how well each pupil is

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Grade: 2

doing in their classes. They then use this information to plan lessons that meet pupils' needs. Subject leaders, particularly in English and mathematics, collate this information to see what needs improving to move their subjects on further. Governors support the school well. They are all well informed by the headteacher and staff and, consequently, have a clear idea of the school's strengths and where improvements are needed. As a result, governors are well prepared to both support and challenge the school where and when necessary. Children in the Foundation Stage get off to a good start. Pupils continue to make good progress in Years 1 and 2. Standards are above average in Year 2. This is an improvement on last year's results and is due to a constant focus, by all, on the importance of raising achievement and standards. Standards in Year 6 are average. Almost half of this group have joined the school

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Grade: 2

4 of 10 Inspection Report: St Mary's Wavendon CE Primary, 26 March 2008 in the last three years. Despite this, new pupils settle in quickly and the majority have made good progress in relation to their starting points. These successes clearly show that the school's capacity to improve further is good. Teaching is good. Adults have high expectations regarding both pupils' behaviour and how well they do in lessons. Classes are generally well managed and lessons are interesting and planned to suit all abilities. Pupils who have difficulty acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills are effectively supported so that they achieve as well as their classmates. The very good relationships between adults and pupils contribute greatly to the good learning in lessons and the positive attitudes of the pupils. Teachers use information and communication technology (ICT) confidently to support learning in their lessons. Learning was particularly good, for

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Grade: 2

example, whilst pupils in Years 3 and 4 used the interactive white board to develop their understanding of French. The academic guidance pupils receive is variable. Some marking of pupils' work is good and shows what they need to do to improve. However, too much does not do this, or help pupils to reach their next level of learning. The good curriculum also contributes to pupils' good achievement. A good range of extra-curricular activities, educational visits to places of interest and knowledgeable visitors who bring in their expertise to school all contribute to pupils' enjoyment and the quality of their learning. Personal, social and health education contributes very well to pupils' understanding of the need to eat healthily, take regular exercise and keep themselves safe at all times. The effective provision for literacy and numeracy generally ensures good achievement. However, in Years 1 to 4, there are times when the provision for teaching basic letter formation

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Grade: 2

and basic punctuation skills is not as good as it should be. ICT provision is good and enables most pupils to reach the levels expected of them and many to exceed these levels. Older pupils come into school early each morning, maturely plug in the laptops, and get on with revision activities to support English, mathematics and science. Links with other institutions, such as local theatres and schools are good and further contribute to pupils' achievements both socially and academically. No opportunities are missed, for example, when the school changed its status, the pupils celebrated by each releasing a balloon with a label stating why. Balloons were returned from a few European countries as well as places nearer by. This not only promoted geographical skills but also enabled pupils to correspond with pupils in a French school where one balloon landed.

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Grade: 2

Parents are very pleased with how much their children enjoy school and the good progress that they make. Children's progress is regularly tracked to make sure everyone is making the expected progress. Almost all children reach the expected levels, and the majority of children are on course to exceed these levels by the time they start in Year 1. Most children are keen and eager to learn sounds and letters and quickly begin to learn how to write. However, the levels they reach are not quite so high in writing because children are not always given enough help in forming letters properly. Teaching is good. Activities are suitably planned to enable all children to learn well. The outside area is used well to promote learning. A small group of children thoroughly enjoyed gardening and proudly spoke about the flowers and carrot seeds they had planted. All children are well looked after and cared for. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: St Mary's Wavendon CE Primary, 26 March 2008

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Promote more effectively the teaching of letter formation and punctuation skills when children write in the Reception class and for pupils in Years 1 to 4. ■ Ensure that marking enables pupils to be sure about what they need to do to improve and achieve their next step of learning. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: St Mary's Wavendon CE Primary, 26 March 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: St Mary's Wavendon CE Primary, 26 March 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 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: St Mary's Wavendon CE Primary, 26 March 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 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: St Mary's Wavendon CE Primary, 26 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

02 April 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Mary's Wavendon CE Primary,Milton Keynes,MK17 8LH Thank you for making me so welcome when I came to visit your school recently. I really enjoyed talking to you about the interesting things you do as you learn. I especially liked coming into your assembly and listening to you sing 'We're learning'. You sang it with great enthusiasm. I know you really enjoy coming to school because you told me so. It was good to see you all playing so well together outside. You are all so kind and respectful towards each other and the adults who work with you. Behaviour in your school is good. You deserve that lovely playground area, with so many exciting things to do in it, which your teachers have organised for you. I am writing to let you know what I found out about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are well looked after and cared for and your parents agree.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make good progress because you are taught well. Your parents are pleased about this too. ■ Interesting activities are planned for you that help you learn in an exciting way.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have learnt such a lot about why it is important to keep yourselves safe and lead a healthy lifestyle. ■ It was nice to hear that you raise money and do kind things for people who are not as fortunate as you are. ■ Your headteacher and staff check very carefully to make sure that you all do your best in everything you do. ■ By the time you leave in Year 6, standards are similar to those expected for your ages and you are prepared to move onto your next school I have asked the school to do two things to make it even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Check that you write your letters properly and use full stops and capital letters in the right places whenever you do any writing. ■ Make sure that when teachers mark your work, you all know what you have to do to improve to reach your next step of learning. Keep working hard, smiling and having fun as you learn. Best wishes Nina Bee Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: St Mary's Wavendon CE Primary, 26 March 2008

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