Great Gidding CofE Primary School

Great Gidding Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Inspection report

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110813 Unique Reference Number CAMBRIDGESHIRE LA Local Authority 310424 Inspection number 7 November 2007 Inspection date Sheelagh Barnes 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 61 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Peter Blundell Chair Mrs Hilary Westcott Headteacher 28 September 2004 Date of previous school inspection Main Street School address Great Gidding Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE28 5NX 01832 293466 Telephone number 01832 293521 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 7 November 2007 Inspection date 310424 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. 7 November 2007

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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: How effectively does the school provide for Foundation Stage children? How well are teachers making it clear to pupils what they need to do next and involving them in the evaluation of their own work? How effectively is information and communication technology (ICT) embedded across the whole curriculum? Other aspects of the school's work were not all investigated in detail but the inspector found no evidence to suggest the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation form were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report. Evidence was gathered from discussions with the headteacher, the Foundation Stage coordinator, pupils and chair of the governors, observations of teaching and analysis of school data on

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Introduction

standards, pupils' work on display and in books, documents and parents' questionnaires.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average school. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and speak English as a first language. They come from the immediate locality and also from villages further away. Most pupils have pre-school/nursery experience but a high proportion of pupils join the school at times other than the start of the Reception. The proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average, as is the proportion of pupils with statements of educational need. A very small number of 'looked after' children attend the school. Attainment on entry is broadly in line with the expectations for children aged four, although the small size of each year group can exaggerate the differences in their standards. The school has achieved the Cambridge Health Promoting School status, Investors in People and Basic Skills Award and Eco Schools Bronze Award.

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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: Great Gidding Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 7 November 2007

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Grade: 1

This is an excellent school. It provides an extremely good education for all the boys and girls who attend. Pupils enjoy school and, as a result, they come to school happily and attendance is good. The extremely good relationships and excellent ethos ensure pupils settle quickly and are happy. They concentrate exceptionally well and try to do their very best at all times and parents are pleased with the education the school provides. Behaviour is excellent and pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is extremely good as a result. They develop an exceptional awareness of the needs of others, both in school and in the wider community. Children settle quickly and easily into the Reception class and their good start is built upon effectively in later years. Across the school, boys and girls make equally outstanding progress in their learning, including the most able and those with learning difficulties. Results in tests

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Grade: 1

at the end of Year 6 in 2007 were significantly above national averages in reading and writing, and good in mathematics. Because of this, pupils are prepared extremely well for the next stage in their education. The main reason for the school's exceptionally high standards is the outstanding leadership of the headteacher. This leadership very effectively links the evaluation of the school's effectiveness and the setting of targets for improvement into a rolling cycle of improvement. Regular evaluations of strengths and areas for focus are made of all aspects of the school's work. These are refined in a continuous and extremely well planned programme of development. The inspection confirmed the accuracy of the school's view of its quality and effectiveness. There has been a good level of improvement since the previous inspection. The school has a good capacity to maintain the highest standard and improve still further.

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Grade: 1

The quality of teaching and learning is exceptionally good. Teachers plan lessons extremely well to build progressively on previous work. They use information from assessment well and share with pupils what it is they need to do to improve. However not all pupils or their parents fully understand what this means or grasp the significance of their personal targets, and so pupils do not always reflect sufficiently on how they themselves might improve their learning in literacy and mathematics. This is particularly the case in mathematics. The curriculum is outstanding and is based very strongly on providing pupils with a broad range of experiences, supplemented exceedingly well with educational visits and clubs. The school's involvement in a range of sporting activities with other schools is particularly noteworthy in view of its size. Information technology is used well as a teaching aid. Pupils learn how to keep healthy and to

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Grade: 1

stay safe through an exceptionally well-planned programme of activities. Regular physical exercise forms an important part of the curriculum and the importance of making wise choices regarding healthy eating is emphasised by all staff at lunchtime, during playtimes and in lessons. The care, guidance and support that the school provides for its pupils are good. Required child protection procedures are followed carefully and the school ensures that pupils know who to turn to if they need help with a problem. Pupils' contribution to the community is excellent and the partnerships the school has developed are outstanding. Many of these significantly enhance the provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who are potentially gifted and talented. There are very good links with other schools, both face-to-face and through the internet. The school provides a wealth of good information for parents, which they appreciate. Governors are very well

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Grade: 1

informed about the school. They are fully involved in all aspects of school life and finances are managed efficiently to provide excellent value for money. The good resources, including the 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Great Gidding Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 7 November 2007 well-equipped grounds are used very well. In particular, excellent use is made of the garden areas as a teaching resource.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management of the Foundation Stage are good and the reason for the good quality provision. Children enter school with skills that are average overall but which vary considerably between individuals. However, they are able to settle quickly into the first class, which also contains pupils who are in Year 1 and Year 2, because of the careful management by the teacher. The care, guidance and support for these children are good and children quickly learn to like school. As a result, they have a good start to their formal education. Staff all work together very well as a team. Teaching and learning, including curriculum planning are good and ensure that there is a good balance to classroom activities. Teachers and support staff make good use of available equipment but limited resources for some aspects of the curriculum, in particular those used to support creative and physical development, can sometimes restrict

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Grade: 2

children's progress, which otherwise is good. It is particularly notable in personal and social development and in developing communication, language and literacy skills. Many children speak with a mature vocabulary for their age and are keen to learn to read and write.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Share with older pupils and their parents more explicitly what they need to do next to improve and involve them in the evaluation of their work. ■ Develop provision in the Foundation Stage for children's physical, and creative and imaginative development. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Great Gidding Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 7 November 2007 .

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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: Great Gidding Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 7 November 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? 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

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 2 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: Great Gidding Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 7 November 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 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: Great Gidding Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 7 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

8 November 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Great Gidding Church of England, Voluntary Controlled primary School, Great Gidding, Cambridgeshire, PE28 5NX Thank you very much for looking after me when I visited your school recently. You were very polite and friendly. The things that are really good about your school are:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You like coming to school and you have great fun working and playing together so that you learn to get on with each other extremely well. ■ Your teachers plan lessons very well and know a lot about how well you are getting on and what work you are doing. ■ Your teachers teach you extremely well so that you make excellent progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are taught a lot of interesting and exciting things and your teachers take good advantage of resources such as the garden and computers to give you new experiences. ■ You learn a lot about staying safe and keeping healthy. You also know how to make healthy choices in what you eat. ■ Your headteacher works extremely hard and knows what to do to make your school even better. The things I have asked your school to do next are to involve you and your parents more in knowing exactly what it is you each need to do next in your literacy and also in your mathematics..As well as this, I have asked the school to provide even more opportunities and equipment for the youngest of you in Reception to exercise and learn to use your imaginations. I really enjoyed talking to you about your school and watching you learn and I wish you all well for the future. Yours sincerely Mrs Barnes Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Great Gidding Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School,

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