Parwich Primary School

Parwich Primary School Inspection report

p.1

112604 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 310944 Inspection number 10 May 2007 Inspection date Alison Cogher Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 45 School

p.1

The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Ed Linnell Chair Mr Ray Williams Headteacher 8 November 2004 Date of previous school inspection Parwich School address Ashbourne Derbyshire DE6 1QJ

p.1

01335 390245 Telephone number Fax number

p.1

4 °11 Age group 10 May 2007 Inspection date 310944 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

This is a very small primary school in the village of Parwich near Ashbourne. All pupils are of White British descent and have English as their first language. Standards on entry to the school are broadly in line with those expected. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is average and no pupils have a statement of special educational need. No pupils are entitled to free school meals. The school has achieved a number of nationally recognised awards, including the Health Promoting School, Artsmark and Activemark awards and the Intermediate International School award.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Parwich Primary School, 10 May 2007

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good school. Leadership, management and governance are good. These, together with its strong sense of teamwork, are at the heart of the school's effectiveness and the good quality of education it provides. Systems for judging the quality of the school's work are rigorous but manageable and provide an accurate picture of what the school does well and what needs to be improved. Good progress has been made since the last inspection as a result of sharply focused plans for improvement. All of the issues identified have been addressed and additional improvements have been made to curriculum planning. Inspection findings agree with the school's evaluation that its overall effectiveness and capacity to improve are good. The school provides good value for money. Standards on entry to, and exit from, the school vary considerably from year to year and reflect the abilities of the very small numbers of pupils in each year group. Over time, standards on

p.4

Grade: 2

entry to the school are broadly in line with those expected. Pupils make good progress from their individual starting points and achieve well to reach standards that are generally above average by Year 6. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities also make good progress because of the good support they receive. Challenging targets are set for all pupils. In Years 3 to 6 pupils work hard to achieve their targets and are clear about what they need to do to improve their work. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 also work hard. However, they are unable to take the same responsibility for improving their learning as older pupils as they are not given sufficient information about how to make their work better. Teaching and learning are good overall. Provision for those children in the Foundation Stage is good. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and make effective use of assessment information to plan lessons that enable most pupils to build successfully of their previous

p.4

Grade: 2

learning. Pupils are managed well by all staff and resources are used well to ensure activities are varied and pupils' interest in learning is well supported. Older pupils are encouraged to become independent learners but in Years 1 and 2 opportunities to do this are sometimes missed and pupils rely too heavily at times on adult support. Attendance is good. School is a place where pupils feel happy, valued and safe. Based securely on trusting and respectful relationships, the care, guidance and support pupils receive are good. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good as a result and pupils enjoy school, work hard and behave well. They understand the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle and how to keep themselves safe. They make a good contribution to the school and wider community, and are well prepared for the next stage in their education and the future world of work. The school has the good support of the vast majority of its parents who feel able to work in a

p.4

Grade: 2

mutually respectful productive partnership with staff to support their children's education. However, the school's systems for communicating with parents are not effective for all parents so a few feel unable to work as closely with the school as they would like. The curriculum is good. It is well planned and the school makes effective use of resources, visits and visitors to enrich and extend pupils' learning. Links between subjects are systematically planned for and give pupils' learning relevance and the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a variety of situations. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Parwich Primary School, 10 May 2007

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure pupils in Years 1 and 2 know what they need to do to make their work better and provide them with more opportunities to develop their independent learning skills. • Find ways of communicating more effectively with parents so they all feel able to work in close partnership with the school.

p.5

Grade: 2

The number of pupils admitted to the school each year is very small and this tends to distort the picture of the school's overall standards. However, generally pupils start with standards that are typical for their age. They make good progress and most achieve or exceed the expected goals by the end of their Reception year. Pupils continue to make good progress and achieve well to reach standards in Year 6 that are generally above average. However, standards in Year 2 and Year 6 do vary, sometimes significantly, from year to year as they reflect the overall ability of the very small number of pupils involved. School assessment information clearly shows that in 2006 pupils in Year 2 made good progress from their standards on entry to reach broadly average standards in reading and mathematics and above average standards in writing. In Year 6, pupils had also made good progress to reach well above average standards in English and

p.5

Grade: 2

mathematics and exceptionally high standards in science. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities also progress well.

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. They are happy, confident individuals who work hard and feel well cared for and supported. Pupils of different ages, including those in the Foundation Stage, enjoy each others company and behave well in class and when at play. There is a well developed sense of community in the school and pupils welcome the opportunity to contribute to school life. They feel listened to and undertake tasks around the school in a mature and considered way. Their involvement in charity work, local events and their links with India and study of Thailand ensure they develop a good understanding of their role in the local and world community. Pupils understand the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and know how to keep themselves safe. They make healthy food choices and enjoy being active. The standards pupils reach and their well developed personal skills prepare them well for the next

p.5

Grade: 2

stage in their education. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. Their spiritual and cultural development is supported very well by the work being completed as part of the International School award and by the strong emphasis on celebrating pupils' individual achievements.

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching is good overall and ensures that pupils learn well. Teachers have good subject knowledge and manage pupils well. Expectations of what pupils can achieve are good and targets are set that challenge pupils to do their best. Lessons take good account of the wide age and ability range of pupils and good use is made of resources to ensure activities motivate 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Parwich Primary School, 10 May 2007 and interest pupils. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 develop good independent learning skills but this is much less evident in Years 1 and 2. For example, although their knowledge of letter sounds is good, pupils are reluctant to attempt to spell words for themselves and rely heavily on adults to spell words for them. Relationships throughout the school are good and pupils' efforts and achievements are valued and celebrated. Teachers make particularly good use of questioning to challenge and support pupils' learning. Teaching assistants work in close partnership with

p.5

Grade: 2

teachers and make a valuable contribution to pupils' learning.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Thorough planning ensures pupils experience all the required elements of the Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum. Good links are made between subjects and consequently pupils appreciate the relevance of their learning as they apply what they have learned in a range of contexts. The whole school approach to planning ensures most pupils are able to build systematically on what they have learned in previous years even though they are in the same class for up to four years. Whilst more could be done to support the development of younger pupils' independent learning skills, the curriculum pupils experience prepares them well for the next stage of their education. A good range of visits and visitors, and the school's involvement in working for the International School's award extend and enrich pupils' learning experiences. They contribute well to pupils' understanding of healthy living, their role within

p.6

Grade: 2

their own and the world community and their overall enjoyment of learning and the standards they reach.

p.6

Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Systems and procedures to safeguard pupils and ensure their health and safety are good and consistently implemented. Pupils feel secure in school and value the strong family atmosphere. They are confident that if they have a concern there is an adult they could turn to for support. Pupils' personal and academic achievements are celebrated with the result that their self-esteem and personal confidence are both good. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are able to engage in all aspects of school life because of the good support they receive and the school's productive links with outside agencies. Pupils' academic progress is checked and challenging targets are set that support the good progress they make overall. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 are clear about what their targets are and work hard to achieve them. In contrast, pupils in Years 1 and 2 are not sure what their targets are or what

p.6

Grade: 2

they need to do to make their work better. The school's partnership with the overwhelming majority of parents is strong and contributes well to pupils' learning and their personal well-being.

p.6

Grade: 2

The headteacher provides strong energetic leadership and he is well supported by staff and governors. In this very small school staff carry many responsibilities. They work effectively as a team to thoroughly and accurately evaluate the quality of the school's work and to identify what it needs to do to improve. Manageable systems ensure good use is made of time and resources to bring about improvements that are focused on ensuring all pupils achieve as well 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Parwich Primary School, 10 May 2007 as they can. Pupils feel valued and able to contribute to school improvement. Parents are generally very supportive of the school and work effectively with staff as partners in their child's education. However, the school's systems for communicating with parents are not effective for all parents. Consequently, for a few parents their partnership with the school is not as strong as they would like it to be. Governance is good; governors are very supportive and systems are

p.6

Grade: 2

in place to enable them to hold the school to account for its work. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Parwich Primary School, 10 May 2007 .

p.7

Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Parwich Primary School, 10 May 2007

p.8

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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 2 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

p.9

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

p.9

learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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: Parwich Primary School, 10 May 2007

p.9

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: Parwich Primary School, 10 May 2007

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 May 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Parwich Primary School, Parwich, Ashbourne, DE6 1QJ Thank you very much for making me feel welcome when I visited your school. I enjoyed meeting you and appreciated your politeness and honesty when I talked to you. I agree with you and most of your parents who think your school is good. These are some of the main things I found out about your school. • Your headteacher, the staff and governors lead and manage your school well. • You behave well and work hard so you make good progress and achieve good standards. • Your attitudes to your work are good and you get along together well. You know how to live healthily and safely. • You know a lot about people in other countries and value each others ideas and views. • Your teachers are good and help you to learn well. • All the adults at school take good care of you so that you can feel safe and happy at school. • You are given a good range of activities to do in lessons and the visits you go on, and the

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

visitors who come to school help you to learn well and enjoy your time at school. I have asked your headteacher, the staff and governors to work on making your school better by: • making sure those of you in Year 1 and 2 understand how to make your work better and do more for yourselves in lessons • making sure all your parents feel they can talk to the school and work with your teachers to help you learn. Thank you very much for helping me with the inspection of your school. All the very best for the future. Alison Cogher Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Parwich Primary School, 10 May 2007

p.11