Clifton CofE Primary School

Clifton CofE Primary School Inspection report

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112811 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 311015 Inspection number 25 June 2007 Inspection date Susan Aldridge 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 114 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr J Mayo Chair Mrs H J Daughtry Headteacher 9 February 2004 Date of previous school inspection Cross Side School address Clifton Ashbourne Derbyshire DE6 2GJ

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01335 342473 Telephone number 01335 342473 Fax number

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5 °11 Age group 25 June 2007 Inspection date 311015 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 Additional Inspector in one day.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average primary school that serves the village of Clifton, parts of Ashbourne and Mayfield. It is popular in the area and is currently oversubscribed. Most pupils are White and of British background. There are lower than average proportions eligible for free school meals or with learning difficulties and disabilities. No pupils have a statement of special educational need. The school's work has been recognised by Activemark 2006 and the Eco Silver Award. Since the last inspection there has been a change of headteacher and several staffing changes.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Clifton CofE Primary School, 25 June 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that provides a good standard of care and education for its pupils. It gives good value for money. Its small size and strong Christian ethos give it a family atmosphere. Parents are pleased with the provision made for their children and they are supportive of the school. Pupils love coming to school and they are enthusiastic about all aspects of school life, particularly the wide range of enjoyable learning activities. Good leadership and management underpin the school's success. Staff work constructively with parents, and link well with schools, the local community and external professionals to ensure that pupils' have rich experiences and the support they need. When children join the school in Reception, they have skills and knowledge typical for their age, although it varies from year to year. They make good progress in Reception because the provision is good, and reach or exceed expected levels. In most years since the last inspection,

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Grade: 2

standards by the end of Year 6 have been above or well above average, indicating that pupils make at least good progress and achieve well. This year standards are above average in Year 6. However, pupils do not do quite as well in mathematics and science as they do in English; fewer reach the higher Level 5 in these two subjects. The school is aware of this because its self-evaluation is good. It has diagnosed where the weaknesses lie and taken suitable action to address these. Pupils make good progress because they are well taught and well supported. Monitoring and support for teachers helps them to improve their practice. Pupils' progress is carefully tracked and staff intervene to help any who do not make the progress that they should. The tracking system is paper-based and is rather time consuming to use. The school is aware of this and is exploring the use of information and communication technology (ICT) packages

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Grade: 2

to find one that meets its needs. Pupils' personal development is good. It is well supported by the ethos of the school and its rich curriculum. Pupils quickly settle, and flourish in the school's happy atmosphere. They particularly like the fact that 'everyone's friendly', say that they have 'got really good teachers' and they feel that they 'learn a lot'. They feel safe in school and are developing a good understanding of healthy lifestyles. They make an outstanding contribution to both the school and the wider community because they have a wealth of opportunities to do so. They successfully develop their skills for working cooperatively with one another, and this, together with high standards in basic skills and a good awareness of the world of work prepares them well for their future lives. Through the good support for transition, pupils are well prepared for the move to secondary school and approach this with excitement, although they say that they will miss their

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Grade: 2

primary school. There has been good improvement since the last inspection. The school's strengths have been maintained despite some key staff changes. The new headteacher and staff have used self-evaluation well to identify areas for improvement. The school's capacity for further improvement is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Implement plans to increase the proportion of pupils that reach Level 5 in mathematics and science by the end of Year 6. • Make the system for tracking pupils' progress more manageable by making use of a suitable ICT package. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Clifton CofE Primary School, 25 June 2007

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. Results in national tests vary from year to year but the small numbers of pupils in each year group make this data statistically unreliable. Inspection findings confirm that pupils make good progress in relation to their starting points and standards are typically above average. In 2006, standards in Year 6 were average but there were a number of pupils with learning difficulties in this group and school information shows that all pupils achieved well. This year, assessment information shows that standards are above average. Standards in English are particularly high. Although girls usually out perform boys, both groups make similarly good progress, as do pupils with learning difficulties. The school has noticed that a smaller proportion achieve Level 5 in mathematics and science than in English. Staff have worked out where weaknesses lie and taken suitable action. For instance, opportunities for investigative science

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Grade: 2

have increased and planning for mathematics has been revised to give greater emphasis to number work in Years 3 and 4. Teachers also recognise that targets have not always been challenging enough, and they have set more challenging goals for next year's Year 6. Much of this action is fairly recent and the school is not able to detect any impact at this stage.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They grow in confidence and self-esteem and are polite and highly articulate. Relationships are good; pupils are tolerant of differences, behave well and look out for one another. They say that there is no bullying. Attendance is good and so is participation in extra-curricular activities. Pupils speak with great enthusiasm about school life. They enjoy physical activities and although they know about healthy eating the school is working towards increasing pupils' willingness to adopt healthy lifestyles by seeking Healthy Schools status. Pupils are sensible and know how to keep safe. Their contribution to the school and wider community is outstanding. All act as Eco Warriors; they compost, recycle, maintain the school's conservation area and collect bags of recyclable goods from the village. Those with

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Grade: 2

responsibilities as 'buddies' or school councillors take these seriously, and all contribute to raising funds for charities and supporting a school in Ghana. They acquire well the knowledge and skills that will make them good citizens and prepare them well for working life in future.

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Grade: 2

Teaching, learning and assessment are good. Teachers use their accurate assessment information and good knowledge of the pupils to plan and prepare their lessons well. As a result, no time is lost and work is generally well matched to pupils' ages and abilities. Teachers make sure that pupils know what the objectives of the lesson are. A good variety of approaches is used. For instance, different learning objectives are set for pupils of different ability; pupils are grouped by ability and often work on slightly different tasks or use different resources. Nevertheless, teachers recognise the need to set even more challenging targets in mathematics and science, especially for the more able older pupils. Teaching assistants are deployed well to support 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Clifton CofE Primary School, 25 June 2007 individuals or groups who need extra help. Teachers also select appealing practical approaches,

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Grade: 2

such as games, mime or practical investigations. As a result, pupils are challenged but not frustrated and they enjoy their lessons. They work hard and concentrate well; they also help one another. Learning is reviewed at appropriate times in lessons, although the school recognises that pupils need to be more involved in assessing their own learning and the work of others.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It contains all that it should and much else besides. All Year 6 pupils learn French and there is a good range of additional activities, either during the school day or after school. Opportunities for pupils to develop their musical abilities are particularly good; all have the opportunity to learn to play at least one musical instrument and there is a successful choir. Pupils take part in regular musical performances which contributes well to their personal development. The headteacher has widened the range of physical activities by extending links with local schools and the community. A few parents would like more extra-curricular sports, but the school is limited in what it can provide, especially on dark nights, because it has no hall. There are excellent opportunities for pupils to contribute to school life and the wider community. Learning is brought to life well by including visits, visitors, a Year 6 residential

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Grade: 2

experience and themed weeks, such as the recent arts week which had a multi-cultural focus. Nonetheless, the school recognises that cross-curricular links could be used even more effectively to make learning all the more meaningful for pupils in Years 3 to 6.

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Grade: 2

This aspect of the school's work is good. Pupils are confident that they have someone in school to turn to because their relationships with the adults are good. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet requirements. Potential risks during school visits are assessed and suitable action taken to minimise these. However, not all school activities are risk assessed, such as visits to the church hall, although pupils are well supervised. Pupils generally know what they need to do to improve their work, and although they are set reasonably suitable targets there is scope to increase the challenge in mathematics and science. Marking is good and gives pupils pointers that they act upon. Pupils with learning difficulties are identified early and well supported. They have good individual education plans, and support from adults including external professionals ensures that they make good progress towards their personal targets. The

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Grade: 2

headteacher has strengthened arrangements for transition and pupils approach the move to secondary school with confidence.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher provides good leadership. She has successfully retained the school's strengths and brought about several improvements. There is a clear vision for the school's future development. All staff take on several responsibilities and they discharge these well; teachers are responsible for monitoring the progress made by the pupils in their class. Good use is made of computer software for managing the budget, and the school rightly intends to find a suitable package for tracking pupils' progress to reduce the bureaucratic workload on staff. The school seeks parents' views and responds to constructive 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Clifton CofE Primary School, 25 June 2007 criticism. For instance, opportunities for parents to consult teachers have been increased. Monitoring and evaluation are well established and enable the school to accurately identify strengths and areas for development. These inform the school improvement plan which is well

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Grade: 2

constructed and carefully monitored by governors. Governance is good. Governors are supportive, hold the school to account and contribute to decision making. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Clifton CofE Primary School, 25 June 2007 .

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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: Clifton CofE Primary School, 25 June 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? 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

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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?

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 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Clifton CofE Primary School, 25 June 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 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: Clifton CofE Primary School, 25 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

26 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Clifton CofE Primary School, Clifton, DE6 2GJ Thank you for making me welcome in your school. I enjoyed my visit very much. I came to see how well you are all getting on and whether there are any things that could be done to make your school better. I agree with the staff and your parents that yours is a good school. I agree with you that it is a pleasant place to be because everyone gets on so well together. You are making good progress in your work, especially in English. I was impressed with the standard of written descriptions of your imaginary cats in the Year5/6 class! You make good progress because the teaching is good and because you get extra help if you need it. You are also developing well as young citizens. It was good to see how enthusiastic you are about school activities. I am not surprised you like school so much, as there are lots of enjoyable things for you to do, including clubs, visits and school productions. You told me that you feel

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

safe and that there is no bullying. Your behaviour is good and so is your attendance. The work that you do as Eco Warriors is excellent, so is your fundraising for charities and support for the school in Ghana. Those of you that are buddies or school councillors are also doing a good job. Taking on responsibilities well, working well in teams and improving your literacy, numeracy and computer skills as you do, will all help you in the future. I know that you all take plenty of exercise at school and I was pleased to see you eating fruit, but there were rather a lot of full-fat crisps and chocolate biscuits in lunchboxes! The staff are going to do two main things to improve the school. They will make sure that more of you reach Level 5 in mathematics and science, as many of you already do this in English. They are going to make use of computer software to check on your progress as this will make their job easier. I wish you all well in the future.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours sincerely, Mrs S Aldridge Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Clifton CofE Primary School, 25 June 2007

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