Crich Carr CofE Primary School

Crich Carr CofE Primary School Inspection report

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112866 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LA Local Authority 311033 Inspection number 27 March 2008 Inspection date Alison Cogher 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 50 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Roger Keeling Chair Miss Anne Punchard Headteacher 10 February 2003 Date of previous school inspection Main Road School address Whatstandwell Matlock Derbyshire DE4 5EF 01773852070 Telephone number Fax number

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4-11 Age group 27 March 2008 Inspection date 311033 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: the impact of teaching on the progress made by pupils of different ages and abilities and the standards they achieve as a result; the effectiveness of leadership and management in bringing about school improvement. Evidence was gathered from lesson observations and scrutiny of school documentation and pupils' work. Parents' questionnaires and discussions with pupils, governors and staff also contributed to the judgements made. 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 where appropriate in the report.

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Description of the school

Almost all pupils attending this very small rural school are of White British heritage. The majority of pupils come from socially and economically advantaged backgrounds and very few are known to be eligible for free school meals. A below average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school holds three Health Promoting School Awards, an Eco-School Green Flag and the Football Association Charter Standard.

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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: Crich Carr CofE Primary School, 27 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Crich Carr is a good school with a number of excellent features. It has the overwhelming support of parents, many of whom wrote to express their confidence in the school with comments such as '...a great school that nurtures young children into well rounded, balanced, independent young people', and '...the school has given my children an exciting and enriching start to life and education'. Pupils thrive both personally and academically in the school's welcoming and extremely supportive environment. In this very small school, standards do vary from year to year, reflecting the individual abilities of the often very small numbers of pupils in each year group. However, children start in Reception with skills and knowledge that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress in all aspects of their learning and most pupils reach or exceed the expected goals by the end of their Reception year. Pupils continue to make good progress and often reach above

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Grade: 2

average standards by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils' progress is monitored rigorously to provide teachers with information about how well pupils are doing. When necessary changes are made to teaching and the curriculum to ensure all pupils achieve well. For example, improvements made after the dip in standards in mathematics and science in 2007 has brought about increased pupil progress in these subjects this year. The prompt action taken to secure this good improvement illustrates the school's good capacity to improve further. Teaching is consistently good. Relationships are excellent and as a result pupils work hard and reach the challenging but realistic targets they are set. Teaching assistants and additional support teachers provide good quality targeted support for individuals and groups of pupils. The learning needs of pupils of different ages and abilities are well met because of the effective

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Grade: 2

deployment of additional staff, very strong links with outside agencies and teachers' planning. Teachers make good use of assessment information, which includes marking of pupils' work, to plan lessons that move pupils' learning forwards at a good rate. However, pupils as individuals receive too little information about what they need to do to make their work better. Teachers are not making the most of pupils' excellent personal skills and motivation to learn by empowering them to share responsibility for their learning. Pupils are polite, friendly, courteous and confident. Their enjoyment of school is high and reflected in their good attendance and the extremely trusting and respectful relationships they have with each other and adults. The excellent care and support pupils receive underpins their outstanding personal development. Child protection and safeguarding procedures are robust and pupils benefit greatly from the school's extremely productive working partnerships with

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Grade: 2

other local schools, outside agencies and the community. Pupils' behaviour is exceptionally good and together with their extremely positive attitudes to learning ensures they are able to make the most of all the activities planned by the school. Pupils really like coming to school because '...lessons are fun' and '...it's warm like a big family and we can all join in activities'. They have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves safe and the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They particularly enjoy being active as shown by the large proportion who arrive at school early in the morning to take part in keep fit sessions, and their involvement in a range of sporting activities. Pupils' spiritual and cultural development is outstanding and they show high levels of tolerance, understanding and consideration for others. They make an outstanding contribution to the school, local and wider world communities through their work

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Grade: 2

as school councillors, their singing and drama performances, raising funds for charity and sponsoring of a child in Uganda. Pupils eagerly take on responsibilities and work together 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Crich Carr CofE Primary School, 27 March 2008 extremely well. Their good literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills together with their outstanding social development ensure they are extremely well prepared for their future lives. The excellent curriculum is vibrant and exciting with a wide variety of topics explored to motivate and enthuse pupils to learn. Extensive use is made of visits, visitors and after school activities to enrich and extend pupils' learning experiences. Opportunities to work with professional organisations, such as the local wildlife trust, give pupils very special learning experiences beyond the classroom. Pupils appreciate the range of activities provided and cite the interesting

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Grade: 2

and varied curriculum as one of the school's real strengths. Very effective links made between subjects gives pupils' learning relevance as they practise their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills in a range of situations. The headteacher and other staff provide extremely strong and stable leadership and management that have ensured the school's continuing success. As the school strives to improve, close teamwork ensures pupils' learning is supported effectively. Staff are flexible in their approach to teaching and adapt their working practice to match pupils' needs so all pupils are given an equal opportunity to achieve well. Good systems are in place to enable the school to judge the effectiveness of its work and to identify areas for improvement. However, the inspector's judgement about the school's overall effectiveness is lower than the school's own judgement because the focus on pupils' achievements in basic literacy and numeracy skills has not always

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Grade: 2

been sufficiently sharp. In many respects governors provide good support for the school and have embarked on a rigorous programme of training and reorganisation. They are making good progress towards a clear goal that will ensure they are able to provide the best possible support for the school whilst also being able to hold it to account for its work and contribute directly to school self-evaluation.

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Grade: 2

Children settle quickly into school and have a very positive start to their education because of good teaching and the extremely good care and support they receive. Provision in the Foundation Stage is well led and managed and children make good progress with most achieving or exceeding the expected goals by the end of their Reception year. All adults work together effectively to promote children's personal development and to ensure they develop very positive attitudes to learning. Although the variety and number of activities available at any one time is limited, planning is thorough and good use is made of the restricted space available in the classroom. Children's enjoyment of school is very evident and they work and play very happily with other pupils. They develop into confident individuals who learn to make the most of both purposeful play and formal learning activities.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide pupils with more information about how to improve their work.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure governors have the skills to enable them to contribute fully to school self-evaluation. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Crich Carr CofE Primary School, 27 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. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Crich Carr CofE Primary School, 27 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? 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?

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?

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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Crich Carr CofE Primary School, 27 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Crich Carr CofE Primary School, 27 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

28 March 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Crich Carr C of E Primary School, Whatstandwell, Derbyshire DE4 5EF Thank you very much for helping me with the inspection of your school. I really enjoyed my day in your school. I particularly enjoyed the time I spent talking to you and watching you work and play together in lessons and at playtime. You and your parents think you go to a good school where some things are excellent. I am very pleased to say that I agree with you. Here are some of the things that I liked the best about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are extremely well behaved, polite and friendly and take very good care of each other. You work hard too, so you do well in your lessons. ■ The care and support you receive from adults is exceptional so you feel safe at school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your teachers plan an outstanding variety of activities for you so you really enjoy learning and being at school. ■ All the adults are working hard to make things even better for you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

When I asked, many of you were not very sure about what you needed to do to make your work better. So, I have asked your teachers to tell you what you need to do so you can help yourselves to learn by concentrating on the things you need to improve. The governors of your school are working hard and want to help to improve your school and so they are going to learn how they can find out for themselves what needs to be better developed. Thank you very much for making my day at your school so enjoyable. I hope that you will keep on working hard and having lots of fun at school. Best wishes Alison Cogher Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Crich Carr CofE Primary School, 27 March 2008

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