Framfield Church of England Primary School

Framfield Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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114550 Unique Reference Number East Sussex Local Authority 311642 Inspection number 30 September 2008 Inspection date Timothy Feast Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 5–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 84 School (total) 9 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Tim Hill Chair Janet Wilde Headteacher 12 October 2004 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection The Street School address Framfield Uckfield TN22 5NR 01825 890258 Telephone number

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5–11 Age group 30 September 2008 Inspection date 311642 Inspection number 01825 890707 Fax number

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5–11 Age group 30 September 2008 Inspection date 311642 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. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Framfield Church of England Primary School, 30 September 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This small school serves the village of Framfield, with some pupils coming from surrounding villages and the nearby town. Numbers in each year group, except Year 4, are small and the results of a single pupil in national tests have a significant impact on the school's overall results. The school admits a small number of pupils each year into the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The Reception class children are currently in a mixed age class with Year 1 pupils. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average but the school has to provide speech and language support to an increasing number of pupils.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Framfield Church of England Primary School, 30 September 2008

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Grade: 2

Framfield Primary is a good school and has improved considerably since the last inspection. Pupils progress well academically, and exceptionally well in respect of their personal development. The headteacher and other school leaders have a very clear vision for the school. They have been successful in translating much of the vision into reality. The school's capacity to improve further continues to be good as school leaders and governors have a clear idea of what requires improvement because of their thorough and accurate self-evaluation. This capacity is strengthened by the excellent way the school works so well in partnership with a wide range of agencies to improve the quality of its provision. Standards are above average and pupils' achievement is good. Pupils make good progress between their entry into the Reception class and leaving the school in Year 6. The rate of progress has improved in recent years, particularly for pupils in Years 1 and 2. Older pupils

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Grade: 2

continue to make good progress towards their challenging targets in the national tests in Year 6. There are variations in pupils' achievement, which is often better in reading and mathematics than it is in writing. The standards of Year 6 pupils are above average, being particularly high in English and science. Pupils currently in Year 2 are on track to meet their challenging targets for the end of the school year. Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding because of the excellent pastoral care systems within the school. Overall, care, guidance and support are only good because academic guidance is not so consistently effective. Parents and pupils comment on how much pupils enjoy school; this results in their attendance being outstanding, significantly above national figures. Pupils' behaviour, particularly in the support that they give to one another through schemes like the 'buddy system,' is exemplary. They are enthusiastic in their adoption

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Grade: 2

of a healthy lifestyle and take up all the opportunities they are offered to be very active. The quality of teaching and learning is good. There are very positive relationships between staff and pupils. Teachers manage their classes well and plan meticulously to meet the needs of the pupils in their class. Work is marked regularly but guidance in the marking is not always good enough for pupils to know what they have to do to improve. The curriculum is broad and balanced, and is enriched considerably by visits and visitors and by an impressive range of additional activities that pupils and parents appreciate. Good systems are in place to track pupils' progress and set them challenging targets, but pupils are neither always aware of their own targets nor sure of what they need to do next to make good progress. Leadership and management are good. The effective impact of action taken to secure improvements is evident, for example, in raising the quality of teaching. School leaders have

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Grade: 2

been successful in driving up standards without losing the breadth of the curriculum by using resources and staff very effectively. Their commitment to valuing all pupils equally shines through all that the school does and results in all pupils progressing well. Academic progress has gone hand in hand with improvements in pupils' personal development, and both children and their parents value this highly. One pupil away on the residential trip expressed it in her letter by saying, 'In my opinion there is no better school anywhere else.' 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Framfield Church of England Primary School, 30 September 2008

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Grade: 2

The progress of children in the EYFS is good. Children come into the Reception class with attainment broadly in line with what is expected. By the time they enter Year 1, their skills are above typically expected levels. Progress is particularly good in terms of their literacy and personal development. Creative development is also good, for example, children produce high quality drawings and clay models of faces. The school has rightly highlighted children's physical development as an area of focus. It has worked well in partnership with the local nursery to improve the provision of activities such as cutting and drawing, and children were observed completing puzzles and using construction activities well. The school's facilities make the routine transition between indoor and outdoor activities more difficult to plan but the curriculum is good at meeting the children's needs. Teaching is good and the good leadership in this area

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Grade: 2

acts as a role model for other aspects of the school's work, for example, in planning a broad curriculum and supporting improvements in literacy.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Make better use of assessment information, including marking, so that pupils know what they are aiming for and how to achieve it. ■ Improve facilities to ease the transition between indoor and outdoor activities for children in the EYFS.

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Grade: 2

Standards in the Year 6 national tests in 2008 improved overall. Unvalidated results in English, mathematics and science showed nearly two thirds of pupils attaining above average results. Current Year 6 pupils are also above average, particularly in English and science. This represents good achievement by these pupils and good progress towards meeting the challenging targets set by the school. Standards in English have risen in the last couple of years as a result of the impact of a number of strategies to improve writing in particular. Standards in science have risen because of the greater emphasis on a problem-solving approach in the subject. Standards achieved by Year 2 pupils in 2008 declined in reading and mathematics but improved in writing. However, a good proportion of pupils attained above average standards, particularly in speaking and listening and in reading. The trend over recent years has been one of broadly

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Grade: 2

average attainment. The current Year 2 pupils have made good progress so far in Key Stage 1 and are on track to meet the school's challenging targets. The positive impact of the school's strategies to improve writing is evident in the pupils' books. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress throughout the school; some individuals make outstanding progress. This impressive rate of progress for these pupils is a result of the intensive identification of what is needed, which enables adults' skills to be used well and flexibly.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' exemplary attitudes are a considerable aid to learning. Pupils are very enthusiastic in showing that they are successful learners. They are well prepared for the next stage of their 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Framfield Church of England Primary School, 30 September 2008 education, with their key skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) being developed well. Pupils say they feel very safe and know who to turn to if there is a problem. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding, reflecting the school's extensive provision of opportunities to help pupils mature into confident, articulate, polite and caring individuals. Over a quarter of the pupils are learning a musical instrument at the school and are rightly proud of their skills. Pupils take good advantage of opportunities to contribute positively to the school and local communities but school leaders

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Grade: 1

have rightly identified taking account of pupils' opinions as an area for development.

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Grade: 2

Lessons are planned effectively and generally meet the needs of mixed age classes well. Pupils enjoy the variety in activities in lessons and humour is used as an effective tool. Teachers use interactive whiteboards well to raise pupils' interests. Teaching assistants are very effective in supporting pupils' learning. Teachers are using a number of ways to assess pupils' work in lessons but pupils do not routinely assess their own or other pupils' work. Teachers comment positively on pupils' work in their marking but give insufficient guidance on what pupils need to do to improve. As a result, many pupils believe that the main focus for improvement is neatness or working harder.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum meets the needs of pupils well and this results in them making good progress. The curriculum makes good use of a wide range of innovative opportunities to support learning and make it enjoyable. A good example was the whole-school visit to Ashdown Forest last winter to stimulate evocative and extended writing. As one parent wrote, 'My children run happily into school, they are kept very busy and are thriving.' There is good provision for pupils to learn a modern foreign language and to develop their musical and artistic talents. Homework is routinely set and positively supports pupils' learning.

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Grade: 2

Pastoral care for vulnerable pupils is exemplary and as a result, pupils flourish. Particularly effective are the support that pupils with speech and language difficulties receive and the emotional guidance for youngsters who are in troubled family circumstances. Pupils' outstanding attitudes, openness and responsibility for self and others are based on the school's teamwork and shared approaches to personal development. The school's arrangements for safeguarding children are comprehensive and meet requirements. The school's partnership with other schools means that children's transition coming into or leaving the school are handled very well. Academic guidance and support for pupils is satisfactory and the school has identified improving this element as an area for development. 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Framfield Church of England Primary School, 30 September 2008

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Grade: 2

School leaders work well together and effectively with other organisations to make sure that the quality of the school's provision is good. School leaders have been effective in raising standards and improving achievement since the last inspection. The school does promote community cohesion effectively but has not yet evaluated the impact of its provision in this area. School leaders have been successful in developing a very good learning environment. They continue to be forward thinking in respect of developing the site still further. Governors have been very supportive and are increasingly effective in holding the school to account. They have played a big part in raising funds and translating architects' drawings into tangible assets. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Framfield Church of England Primary School, 30 September 2008 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Framfield Church of England Primary School, 30 September 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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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 capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Framfield Church of England Primary School, 30 September 2008

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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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Framfield Church of England Primary School, 30 September 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

1 October 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Framfield Church of England Primary School, Framfield, TN22 5NR Thank you for helping us with the inspection and making us feel so welcome in your school. We enjoyed talking with you and finding how much you enjoy coming to school and how proud you are of all that it has to offer. We have said you go to a good school that gives you a good education. We also enjoyed reading the letters of those of you who were away at the Bowles Centre. You are making good progress in your work and the standard of your work is above average. To help you make better progress we have asked the school to give you more guidance on what you need to do to improve. You told us how you really enjoy coming to school and this is obvious from your outstanding attendance. We have said your behaviour and attitudes are outstanding, particularly how you look out for each other through schemes like the 'buddy system'. You told us you feel very

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

safe and happy. We have said the school does really well in helping you prepare to come to Framfield School and preparing you to move on to your next school at the end of Year 6. Adults take really good care of you and you told us there was always someone to talk to if you had a problem. We are sure that you will continue to enjoy your time at Framfield. We wish you all success and happiness this year and in the future. With best wishes, Tim Feast Lead inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Framfield Church of England Primary School, 30 September 2008

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