Clavering Primary School

Clavering Primary School Inspection report

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114967 Unique Reference Number ESSEX LA Local Authority 311774 Inspection number 1 November 2007 Inspection date Godfrey Bancroft 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 Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 159 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Julian Hall Chair Mrs Catherine Bonich Headteacher 15 November 2004 Date of previous school inspection Strotford Road School address Clavering Saffron Walden Essex CB11 4PE 01799 550300 Telephone number 01799 550045 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 1 November 2007 Inspection date 311774 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. The inspection evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: achievement and standards, teaching and learning, the curriculum, care, guidance and support, and leadership and management. Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, sampling pupils' work, assessment and target setting information, extensive portfolios of the work of the school and discussions with pupils, key members of staff and governors. 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 detailed 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

This is a smaller than average sized primary school. The area it serves is favourable and the percentage of pupils known to be eligible for a free school meal is much lower than average. Children's attainment on entry usually exceeds that found for five year olds. The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and the percentage who speak English as an additional language are below average. However, the number of pupils who start or leave the school at other than the expected times is much higher than usually found. The percentage of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is lower than average and those that have statements of special educational need is broadly average. The school has Investors in People, a Soil Association Award (for gardening activities) and holds the National Healthy Schools Award.

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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: Clavering Primary School, 1 November 2007

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school. It is popular and over-subscribed and gives exceptional value for money. Pupils and their parents and carers speak about the school with great affection and are very appreciative of its work. One parent's comment typified the opinion of many when she said, 'We are very lucky to have a school which provides such a high standard of care and education for our children'. Provision for children in the Foundation Stage is outstanding and they progress very well. In Years 1 to 6 pupils of all abilities and backgrounds, achieve very well. Standards, by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics are consistently above average. When pupils leave at the end of Year 6 standards in English, mathematics and science are well above average. Pupils acquire the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology very well, laying the foundation for them to be successful in later life. Many pupils

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Grade: 1

also achieve very high standards in subjects such as art and design, French, history, music and physical education. Pupils currently in Year 6 are making exceptional progress in lessons, in relation to their starting points on entry to the school. This pattern is being sustained, often against a background of changes to the pupil population as a significant number leave whilst others join in each year. The exceptional standard of care enables pupils to settle in happily and learn successfully. The school also communicates very effectively with parents and carers to ensure they are well informed about the progress their children are making. Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding and are underpinned by very effective procedures to ensure that pupils are safe and cared for very well. Consequently, pupils are very aware of how to stay safe. The school meals, along with an exceptional range of physical

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Grade: 1

activities, contribute to pupils' excellent understanding of how to stay fit and healthy. Pupils clearly enjoy their education and behaviour around the school and in lessons is exemplary. As one pupil said, 'The school is full of nice people and our teachers are really kind - it's fantastic'. They also contribute very well to the school and to the wider community, as exemplified by their knowledge of the importance of caring for the environment and by the money they raise for a wide range of charities. Pupils are keen to take responsibility. Those who act as play leaders demonstrate this by undertaking their duties very effectively. Teaching and learning are outstanding. Teachers plan very effectively and meet the needs of the full range of abilities in each class successfully. Lessons are also exciting and capture pupils' interests very well. Teachers take great care to ensure that pupils are fully aware of what they

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Grade: 1

are expected to achieve and what they need to do to make their work even better. As a result, pupils are very knowledgeable about the targets for their learning. They are motivated to do well and are very proud of the work they do. The curriculum is outstanding. It provides pupils with a rich range of learning experiences and additional activities, and there is a very strong commitment to pupils' personal and social development. The headteacher and staff are innovative as they constantly strive to make improvements. For example, the school is part of the Forest Schools Project, which explores ways of using the outdoors to make learning relevant and meaningful. Many parents and members of the community contribute to the school's excellent programme of additional activities and educational visits. These include bridge club, the choir, orchestra and a wide range of sporting activities. Leadership and management are outstanding. The exceptional leadership of the headteacher

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Grade: 1

provides all who work in the school with a sense of purpose and value. Subject leaders and 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Clavering Primary School, 1 November 2007 those with additional responsibilities provide very good support for their colleagues. However, the use of assessment information to analyse the performance of the school and to guide and measure the success of planned improvements, whilst satisfactory, is not yet developed fully. Governance is outstanding. Governors are knowledgeable about the school's strengths and about what needs to be improved and pupils and staff benefit greatly from their enthusiasm and hard work. The school has successfully addressed the issues for improvement identified by the last inspection and improvement since that time has been good. The school's capacity for continued improvement is outstanding. The school evaluates its performance accurately. It sets challenging

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Grade: 1

targets for pupils' attainment and provides exceptional support for them to achieve these successfully. This school is not in any way complacent and strives constantly to improve its performance.

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Grade: 1

Children receive an outstanding start to their education. They settle in quickly and soon become confident and enthusiastic learners. Many children have had very positive pre-school learning experiences. Teachers and teaching assistants build on these experiences very effectively and particularly rapid progress is evident in children's personal, social and emotional development and in their communication, language and literacy. This lays a firm foundation for children to become successful learners as they progress through the school. Teachers assess children's progress accurately and respond swiftly to meet the needs of any who show signs of falling behind. The curriculum is outstanding and meets all areas of children's learning very well. It ensures the transition between the Reception year and Year 1 is a smooth one. Teachers ensure that there is good balance between the activities that they lead and those in which children

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Grade: 1

are encouraged to work by themselves and with others.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Streamline the use of assessment information to analyse the performance of the school and to contribute to the identification and evaluation of areas for further improvement. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Clavering Primary School, 1 November 2007 .

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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: Clavering Primary School, 1 November 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? 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 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

1 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 1 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: Clavering Primary School, 1 November 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 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: Clavering Primary School, 1 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

2 November 2007 Dear Pupils, Inspection of Clavering Primary School, Saffron Walden, Essex Thank you for making my visit to your school so enjoyable. Your school has many superb features, which make it outstanding. I was particularly impressed by the way in which you all work hard and do your best, often achieving high standards. You are clearly very proud of the work you do. Your behaviour is exceptional and the ways in which you care for and help each other are outstanding. This is typified by the ways in which you raise money for deserving causes. Well done! I would also like to congratulate your parents, carers and all the members of the community who work very hard to help make your school such a good place to learn. Your teachers do an excellent job to make lessons enjoyable and learning exciting. For example, there are many opportunities to learn outside, such as when you take part in the Forest Schools

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Project. Mrs Bonich and your school governors do a tremendous job in making sure that the school works well and you have all you need to learn successfully. Even so, they are always looking for ways to make your school even better. With this in mind, I have asked them to look really closely at how well you do in the national tests each year and to use what they find out as a way of deciding what needs to be improved. By the way, congratulations on winning your football match. Yours sincerely, Godfrey Bancroft Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Clavering Primary School, 1 November 2007

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