Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School

Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School Inspection report

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112844 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 311026 Inspection number 3 July 2007 Inspection date Keith Edwards 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

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The governing body Appropriate authority Dr Liz Bailey Chair Mrs Sue Brindley Headteacher 9 June 2003 Date of previous school inspection Main Street School address Netherseal Swadlincote Derbyshire DE12 8BZ

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01283 760283 Telephone number 01283 760283 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 3 July 2007 Inspection date 311026 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 in one day.

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Description of the school

This small primary school serves the former mining community of Netherseal in the south of Derbyshire. Almost all of the pupils are from White British backgrounds and all come from homes where English is the first language. Although many of the children live locally, an increasing number are drawn from further afield. Attainment on entry to the school is in line with national expectations although there is a wide range of ability in each class. The proportion of pupils entitled to a free school meal is below average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is below that of most schools.

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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: Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School, 3 July 2007

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Grade: 2

St Peter's is a good school that has made outstanding progress since the last inspection. All of the key issues have been resolved and the school is well set to maintain this momentum. Standards are rising, the quality of teaching is much improved and the school provides a vibrant curriculum. The pupils now have a clear voice, particularly on environmental issues, in the affairs of the school. St Peter's Primary has the respect of the community that it serves and works well with other schools. The pupils' achievement is good. Overall, the pupils make good progress. This is particularly evident in the Foundation Stage, where the children are given a secure basis for their future learning, and in the class for the older juniors where the teaching is rigorous and has high expectations. Standards are above average by the end of Key Stage 2. In mathematics and science, pupils' progress benefits from a very practical, investigative approach. The pupils make

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Grade: 2

good progress overall because they feel safe and secure and the quality of teaching and learning is good. Because they are well supported, those pupils who find learning difficult make good progress. The school makes good arrangements for the brighter pupils to make sure that they are suitably challenged and enabled to reach their potential. Achievement in writing lags a little behind the other basic skills because the pupils' work is limited by the range of vocabulary and a lack of fluency. However, there are signs that this is an improving situation. This is because the pupils now have a much clearer idea of what they need to do to improve and the teaching is putting much more emphasis on accuracy in writing. However, work remains to be done on providing more opportunities for the pupils to express their ideas clearly in speech and to record their ideas and develop their vocabulary in a variety of contexts.

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Grade: 2

The personal development and well-being of the pupils is exemplary. They really enjoy coming to school and attendance rates are well above average. Staff respect and value the pupils and consequently pupils develop self-confidence, self-esteem and self-discipline; pupils' behaviour is outstanding. They know how to keep themselves safe and most respond very well to the many initiatives that encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyles. They work hard and play well together, forming excellent relationships with one another and with adults in school. The school makes outstanding provision for the welfare of its pupils. Each member of staff knows each of the pupils and the family atmosphere strengthens relationships and promotes outstanding behaviour. The school checks the pupils' progress carefully. Assessment procedures provide an accurate picture of the pupils' starting points and are used well to sharpen the

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Grade: 2

quality of teaching. Leadership and management are good. The staff form an effective team and there has been good progress in developing subject responsibilities and accountability. However, many of the support staff are new to the school and much work is required in honing their skills to ensure that the 'intervention strategies' which they use to support groups of pupils are fully effective. Furthermore, there is scope for strengthening the links with parents to ensure that they are fully involved in the education partnership. The school's view of itself is broadly accurate and has resulted in a clear strategy for continuing improvement. The quality of governance has improved since the last inspection as governors have developed a range of strategies to gauge the school's effectiveness and to measure its performance. The school provides good value for money. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School, 3 July 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in writing further by developing speaking and extending the range of the pupils' vocabulary. ■ Develop the expertise of the support staff through further training.

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Grade: 2

The children achieve well in the Foundation Stage, particularly in their personal, social and communication skills and meet the goals that are set nationally for their age group. The pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, build successfully on this secure foundation and progress well throughout the school ensuring that their achievement by the end of each key stage is good. Because the teachers make effective use of assessment data when planning lessons, standards are rising. This is reflected in the improved performance of the pupils in the national assessment tests, particularly in mathematics and science, in recent years. In science, pupils benefit from the exciting investigative approach to learning and an increasing proportion of pupils achieve the higher levels. Although standards in mathematics and English are above average, achievement has not been as consistent in writing as other

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Grade: 2

areas. This is because the pupils lack fluency in their speech and use a limited vocabulary, which in turn has an adverse effect on their writing. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) have risen through enhanced resourcing and training for staff.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development is outstanding. They benefit from the school's family atmosphere that enables them to grow in confidence and self-esteem and to take responsibility. This is particularly evident in the improvements to the school environment that stem from school council decisions. Pupils are kind and considerate towards each other and they enjoy trusting relationships with the adults in school. They are confident learners and work very well together. Their behaviour is excellent. Pupils really enjoy school and attendance levels are very good. The pupils appreciate the wide range of opportunities that are made available to them by the school's programme of visits and special events. A strong personal, social and health education programme, combined with initiatives such as the school's move towards Health Promoting School status, enable pupils to develop a secure understanding of healthy lifestyles.

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Grade: 1

The pupils contribute well to the wider community and successfully acquire the essential skills that equip them for the next stages of education and adult life. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, with particular strengths in the moral and social aspects. Their spiritual development is supported through the links with the church and the cultural development of the pupils is well promoted through the arts. The pupils are aware of religions other than Christianity through their work in the humanities. They have a strong sense of their own cultural traditions and a growing awareness of cultural diversity. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School, 3 July 2007

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good and pupils benefit from the staff's broad range of interest and experience. A common denominator in all classes is the warmth of the relationships that promotes good behaviour, encourages the pupils to try hard and sets a good climate for learning. The teachers have high expectations of the pupils' performance and in most lessons the pace is good. The teaching assistants are learning to support the pupils effectively. Interactive whiteboards are used successfully to demonstrate new techniques clearly. In the classes for the infant children and the upper juniors, the work set is most closely matched to the range of ability in each class, and lessons are conducted with good pace. This enables the pupils to make good progress. The setting and marking of homework is often good but lacks consistency.

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Grade: 2

The quality of the curriculum is good because it is particularly well enriched with a wide-ranging programme of visits, including a residential visit, and visitors to school. It is well planned, with an appropriate focus on promoting skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT. The Foundation Stage curriculum is good although the accommodation limits opportunities for independent outdoor play. The curriculum strongly supports the pupils' personal development, with many valuable opportunities to promote their well-being. A further strength lies with the many and varied special events, such as the involvement of creative artists, dancers and sporting organisations that support pupils' learning. The pupils' learning is further extended and enriched by a good programme of extra activities during and beyond the school day. A high percentage of pupils take part in the different activities; they and their parents are very appreciative of what the

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Grade: 1

The pupils benefit from outstanding care, guidance and support. The family atmosphere of the school, underpinned by its Christian values, strongly supports the welfare of the pupils. The safety of the children is at the heart of school policies, and child protection arrangements are clearly understood by all staff. The pupils receive good guidance about how to remain fit and healthy. They are confident that they can talk to an adult if they are at all concerned. Risk assessments are carefully attended to. The school informs pupils clearly about what they need to do next to improve their learning and this is having a positive effect on their progress. Because the school works so well in partnership with the local playgroup and cluster of schools, arrangements to ensure pupils successfully transfer into the school and onto the next stage of their education are very good.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher is committed to enhancing the quality of education and has been very successful in securing improvements in 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School, 3 July 2007 the face of a history of staff mobility. The school's capacity for further improvement is good but much depends on how well the skills of the new staff are developed. However, the staff function well as a team and the teachers are making good progress in evaluating achievement. The impact of this greater rigour in the monitoring of pupil progress has had a marked impact on raising standards. Equal opportunities are at the heart of the school's development plans and ensure that support is allocated to the most needy. The school has formed good working partnerships with neighbouring schools to accelerate the rate of change but there remains

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Grade: 2

scope for strengthening the partnership with parents through improved communication. The governors are efficiently organised and energetically committed to the strategic development of the school. They have developed a good understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement through their frequent visits, both formal and informal. In this way, their awareness of their responsibility to hold the school to account has grown, and they are fully involved in their role as critical friends, particularly in terms of monitoring the school's effectiveness. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School, 3 July 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: Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School, 3 July 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 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 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

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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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School, 3 July 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: Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School, 3 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

4 July 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Peter's Church of England (Controlled) Primary School, Netherseal, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE12 8BZ I really enjoyed my visit to your school because everybody was so helpful and friendly. I was very pleased to be able to work with you in your classrooms, join in with your assembly and meet with the school council. I can understand why you enjoy your school so much as there are many things that make your school special. Here are some of them.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You clearly work hard in lessons and you are making good progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Everybody understands the school rules and you behave very well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Everybody tries to be friendly, thoughtful and helpful. Well done!

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ All of the teachers want you all to enjoy school and to do well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The school provides a good range of activities and visits to keep you interested.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

But, of course, as in all schools, there are still things that can be done to make your school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Firstly I know that you can do even better with your work, particularly your writing, and I am asking your teachers to help you to develop your vocabulary and give you more opportunities to discuss your ideas. ■ I also want the school to strengthen the links with your parents and to make sure that all new members of staff have very good training for their jobs, no matter what their work is in school. Although there is still work to be done to make your school even better, you must never forget that Mrs Brindley and the staff work very hard to help you to learn and you must try to remember to thank them. I would like to wish you all the very best for the future. Yours sincerely Keith Edwards Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherseal St Peter's CofE (C) Primary School, 3 July 2007

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