Bonsall CofE (A) Primary School

Bonsall VA CofE Primary School Inspection report

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112888 Unique Reference Number Derbyshire Local Authority 311040 Inspection number 18 June 2008 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 aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 57 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Carol Brown Chair Ms Lesley Murhall Headteacher 12 July 2004 Date of previous school inspection Church Street School address Bonsall Matlock Derbyshire DE4 2AE 01629 822573 Telephone number 01629 822573 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 18 June 2008 Inspection date 311040 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 who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues:

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Introduction

■ Current standards and progress in writing across the school, including how well pupils know what to do to improve their writing. ■ How effective the links are with the local and wider community.

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Introduction

■ The behaviour and ethos in all classes.

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Introduction

Evidence was gathered from observing lessons, scrutiny of pupils' work and the school's documentation, discussions with pupils and staff and noting communications from parents. 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 this report.

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Description of the school

Bonsall Primary is much smaller than average. Below average proportions of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Virtually all of the pupils come from White British backgrounds and none speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils who need extra support with their learning and those with statements of special educational need is broadly average. Attainment on entry to the school is broadly in line with that expected nationally. Mobility of families within the area is low. The school has been awarded with Investors in People, the Activemark, the Walk to School (gold) and the Eco Schools (silver) awards.

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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: Bonsall VA CofE Primary School, 18 June 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that provides a good education for all of the pupils. This is because of the very clear-sighted and strong leadership of the headteacher. Her presence at the forefront of links between home and school is excellent and, as a result, the ethos of the school is very good and there are very strong links with parents. Those who responded to the questionnaire were unanimous in their praise of the school and its leadership. Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher, in particular, has an accurate view of the school's strengths and areas for further improvement and is supported well by governors and staff alike. As a result, there has been a good level of improvement since the previous inspection and the school is in a good position to continue to improve further. One area of significant improvement since the previous inspection is the curriculum, which is excellent. It is vibrant and exciting and, as a result, pupils are keen to come to school and enjoy

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Grade: 2

their lessons. Healthy lifestyles are promoted well, particularly with regard to physical activities. Pupils who need extra help with their learning receive a good level of support. They are integrated effectively into all aspects of school life. The day-to-day curriculum is very effectively enriched by a wide range of clubs and other activities. For example, all pupils from Reception upwards learn French and all those in Years 5 and 6, including some staff, are learning to play a brass instrument. There are excellent links with the local and wider community. This includes working on a local allotment and exchange visits with a school from an inner city area. Parents say things such as 'The breadth and scope of activities and extra-curricular topics is excellent' and 'The whole village is very proud of the school's contribution and involvement with the community'. The excellent opportunities provided for pupils to develop their personal and social

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Grade: 2

skills result in them making great strides in their personal development. They are confident and polite and their behaviour is excellent. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent and pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay healthy and to keep themselves safe. Attendance is good. Older pupils regularly and happily take responsibility. For example, they organise and lead assemblies, form clubs and plan extra curricular activities for themselves and others, and collect and look after younger pupils at lunchtimes. They are well prepared for the next stage in their education. The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers establish good relationships with the pupils in their care. Lessons are well planned to meet the needs of all pupils in the mixed age classes, including those who find learning difficult. Assessment is regular and accurate and marking provides good information to pupils about what they need to do to improve their work

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Grade: 2

still further. Pupils know what the next targets are for them to aim for to improve their work. Teachers plan lessons which are interesting and which seize the attention and interest of boys and girls alike. For example, good use is made of computers for both teaching and learning, to make lessons memorable. Pupils' achievements are good overall and they generally attain standards by the end of Year 6 which are above those expected for their ages. Data indicates that pupils' progress in writing is sometimes excellent and sometimes satisfactory. Overall, their achievement is good. The headteacher has identified that improving the development of pupils' writing skills still further is the next focus for whole school development. Teachers generally make good use of pupils' enthusiasm for the interesting lessons as an opportunity to improve their writing skills. However, on occasion, opportunities are missed.

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Grade: 2

4 of 9 Inspection Report: Bonsall VA CofE Primary School, 18 June 2008 The quality of care, guidance and support is excellent. All health and safety requirements are effectively met. Child protection arrangements and provision for vulnerable pupils are excellent, involving good levels of interaction with other agencies. Academic and personal development is monitored effectively and ensures that pupils from all groups thrive. Assessment systems are in place to gauge accurately the progress of pupils in all areas of the curriculum. Systems to monitor the core subjects of English, mathematics and science are rigorous. They are easy for leaders to use to get an overview and to monitor progress and relative attainment of different groups across the whole school. They are used to set challenging targets and to identify swiftly any need for extra input, such as booster groups or support. However, while records of pupils'

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Grade: 2

progress in other subjects are detailed, they do not easily give a speedy overview of trends. As a consequence, it is more difficult for subject leaders to monitor and identify swiftly developing patterns in pupils' progress across the whole school. The headteacher has identified this as an area for the school to develop and refine further in the forthcoming year.

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Grade: 1

The school judges teaching and learning and leadership and management to be outstanding and the inspection supports this. There has been good improvement to the accommodation and curriculum since the previous inspection. The school has significantly developed the outdoor learning opportunities for children in preparation for the introduction of the Foundation Phase curriculum in September. Children settle very happily into the class with older pupils from Year 1 and Year 2 because of excellent induction procedures. They make outstanding progress, particularly in developing early literacy and numeracy skills and exceed the standards expected for their age by the end of Reception. Children who need extra support are swiftly identified and given any help they require. Teachers, volunteers and support staff establish excellent relationships with the children and their families. Routines and expectations of behaviour are

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Grade: 1

quickly established. As a result, children are happy and their personal development and confidence when interacting with older pupils is exceptionally good. Parents are confident that their children are looked after well and are effectively involved in their children's education. They say their children 'love going into school and are always excited about what might happen that day.'

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide more opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills in subjects other than English. ■ Refine tracking and monitoring systems for subjects other than English, mathematics and science to make monitoring by coordinators more effective. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Bonsall VA CofE Primary School, 18 June 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: Bonsall VA CofE Primary School, 18 June 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? 1 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: Bonsall VA CofE Primary School, 18 June 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: Bonsall VA CofE Primary School, 18 June 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 June 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Bonsall Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Bonsall, DE4 2AE I would like to thank you for the polite and friendly way you treated me when I visited your school. It was helpful to hear your views and to see you working and playing together. I am writing this is to tell you about the things I found out about your school. The really good things are:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy school a lot and all of the activities the teachers provide for you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have excellent opportunities to go on trips and visits and to meet others, which all helps you remember what you are taught ■ You behave extremely well and get on with your work

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your teachers teach you well so that you make good progress in what you learn

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You get on extremely well with each other, and older pupils take very good and considerate care of younger ones ■ School takes good care of you and makes sure you have excellent provision to learn to stay safe and healthy ■ Mrs Murhall knows a lot about you all and what to do to make your school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

There are some things I have asked the teachers to do to make the school even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ To give you more opportunities to practice your writing, especially writing about the exciting things you make and learn about ■ To make the systems that teachers in charge of subjects use to check how well each one of you is doing easier and quicker for them to use. You can help as well in making your school even better by trying in lessons as much as I saw you do this week. I wish you all the best for the future. Yours sincerely Mrs Barnes Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Bonsall VA CofE Primary School, 18 June 2008

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