St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall

St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall Inspection report

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115108 Unique Reference Number ESSEX LA Local Authority 311835 Inspection number 11 °12 March 2008 Inspection dates Simon Griffiths 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 274 School The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Emma Mason Chair Mr P Anderson Headteacher 27 May 2002 Date of previous school inspection Myneer Park School address Coggeshall Colchester CO6 1YU 01376 561328 Telephone number 01376 563832 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 11 °12 March 2008 Inspection dates 311835 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. 11 °12 March 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average sized school. The number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. Almost all pupils are from a White British background. The number of pupils with a learning difficulty and/or disability including those with a statement of special educational need is above that found in most schools. Pupils enter with levels of attainment which are broadly similar to those expected for their age with some variation in cohorts. The school has the Active Mark and 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 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall, 11 °12 March 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has many good features and some that are outstanding. The school's creative approach to learning is clearly evident throughout its very attractive and vibrant environment. It offers pupils a wealth of opportunities to enhance their personal development and to develop interests and talents across a wide range of activities, to which they respond enthusiastically. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, supported by other senior leaders, governors and hardworking staff team has worked very effectively to develop a broad and exciting curriculum that links subjects together so that pupils can understand their learning better. Good progress has been made since the last inspection and the school offers good value for money. The school has an accurate picture of its strengths and weaknesses and a good capacity to improve further. By the time they leave the school most pupils consistently attain standards above those found

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Grade: 2

nationally. In 2007, standards at Year 6 were exceptionally high and progress was significantly better than expected nationally. High standards are evident across the curriculum as well as in English and mathematics. Pupils achieve well in the Foundation Stage. By the time they leave Key Stage 1 they consistently reach standards at least in line with those found nationally, and many pupils surpass them. Pupils' personal development is good and their spiritual development is outstanding. They enjoy coming to school, know how to keep themselves and each other safe and have a good understanding of how to stay healthy. They take great pride in their work and are encouraged to present it creatively. Pupils are proud to take on responsibilities and duties around school but say they would like even more! The quality of teaching is good with the best features being the high quality relationships, the challenge pupils receive through skilled questioning and the lively and exciting delivery of many

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Grade: 2

lessons. Teachers are very reflective about their work and anxious to continue to improve. However, school leaders are aware that these best features of teaching are not yet consistently seen in all lessons. Pupils are well cared for. Pastoral care for pupils is outstanding because staff know their pupils well and there are extremely caring and well-coordinated systems of support operating across the whole school. This is evident in lessons and daily routines. Provision for gifted and talented pupils is good. Academic guidance is less well developed as the school is refining its assessment procedures and has also identified the need to ensure marking is consistent throughout the school. Governors are well informed and both support and challenge the school. School leaders have identified the need to establish an even more systematic monitoring and evaluation programme in order to maximise the impact of the outstanding curriculum on standards and the rate at

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Grade: 2

which pupils make progress throughout the school. Parents are very supportive of the school and value its work both academically and socially. They appreciate the range of opportunities offered by the school. As one wrote, 'what more could a parent ask for?' 4 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall, 11 °12 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Children do well in the Foundation Stage. They settle quickly into this happy and highly stimulating environment. This is because, with good teaching, care, support and knowledge from all staff, children feel valued and confident and are prepared well for future learning. They thrive and make good progress in most areas so that by the time children enter Year 1 they achieve the standards expected of them and many surpass them. Carefully planned and exciting theme-based activities that children enjoy ensure that they revisit and reinforce their learning in different ways. The attractive outdoor environment is used successfully to extend children's learning in all areas. Good leadership and management ensure there is no complacency and that improvement remains a priority. Staff are currently planning to further refine the balance between children making choices about their learning activities and adults directing

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Grade: 2

what they do, and to strengthen the school's relationship with children's pre-school providers.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure the best features of teaching identified in the school are present in all lessons.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Bring more rigour to systems for collecting and using information about how well pupils are progressing to ensure they continue to do as well as they can.

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Grade: 2

By the time pupils leave the school they achieve well and reach standards above those expected nationally. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. Achievement in 2007 was exceptionally high. Pupils from Years 3 to 6 are on track to meet challenging targets. Pupils achieve well in the Foundation Stage. Standards at Year 2 are above average and achievement has improved so that for many it is now good. A particular feature of the school is the high standard of work and enjoyment seen in the foundation subjects and across the curriculum. Standards are particularly impressive in music and the arts because of the excellent support the school provides in these areas.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is good with outstanding features. Their spiritual development is outstanding and reflects the Christian ethos of the school. Behaviour is good. Their enjoyment of school is excellent which is reflected in above average attendance. Pupils know how to stay safe and make healthy choices. They tuck in to nutritious lunches and enjoy taking part in a wide range of physical and sporting activities. Pupils have a good awareness of the risks of drugs, alcohol, traffic and strangers. They make an outstanding contribution to the school and its community. Many carry out 'duties', acting as 'Bully busters' and play leaders, and represent their classmates on the school council. Their talents in the creative and performing arts are often shared with the local and wider community. Pupils are proud to help others less fortunate than themselves often in

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Grade: 2

partnership with parents or the church, sometimes with an international dimension. Pupils say they would like even more opportunities to take the lead in projects such as running the school fruit shop or leading school council meetings. Their highly developed personal skills ensure they are prepared well for their future lives. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall, 11 °12 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Teachers have established very good relationships with pupils. Their careful management ensures behaviour and attitudes are good, pupils work hard and lessons flow purposefully. Skilled teaching assistants support individuals and groups well. Teachers' planning is careful and conscientious, and makes good use of subject knowledge in an imaginative way to bring learning alive for pupils. Teachers reflect on their practice and are keen to improve. The best lessons contain challenging questions delivered in lively and dynamic style which extend pupils' learning, particularly their thinking skills. Teachers make it very clear to pupils what they are expected to learn and pupils are becoming increasingly skilled at evaluating their own work. In such lessons, pupils' learning proceeds at a good pace. Leaders recognise, however, that whilst no teaching is ever less than satisfactory, these best features are not consistently evident in

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding and has many significant strengths. The thematic approach to learning is very well structured ensuring all of the subjects are taught effectively and creatively, and enabling pupils to make good progress. Pupils take an evident pride in their work, something that was clear from the high standard of presentation in work on display and in books. The school environment is also used effectively to celebrate their achievements and to demonstrate the links being made across the curriculum. There is a wide range of extra activities for the pupils and many opportunities for sport and exercise as well as the arts. Good use is made of drama to deepen understanding. Learning is well supported by a wide range of visits and visitors. Basic skills in literacy and numeracy are enhanced through all subjects. Opportunities to develop skills in the arts and music are remarkable and children have many opportunities to demonstrate

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Grade: 1

and refine their skills in these subjects to an impressive degree.

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Grade: 2

This is a very caring community and all staff, including teaching assistants, know their pupils well and there are effective systems to support all children both academically and personally. Arrangements for child protection and safeguarding pupils are secure. These aspects of the school's work are outstanding. The school recognises the need to ensure even more rigour and consistency in academic guidance, marking, and the use of individual learning targets, enabling all pupils to fully understand how to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

All staff have a shared commitment to the development of the school which has been very successfully fostered over time by the head teacher. There is an obvious sense of teamwork and all leaders effectively promote the school's outstanding curriculum. Staff say 'all of our children are all of our responsibility.' Leadership and management are consistently focused on 6 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall, 11 °12 March 2008 improving standards and achievement as seen in the 2007 results at the end of Year 6 and also the improvements across the school in writing. Governors are very well informed and support the school but also challenge it to secure even higher achievements. There are good links with parents who value the school. Leaders have identified for themselves the need to ensure progress across the school is consistently good and to further develop systems for collecting

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Grade: 2

and using information to make sure all children continue to do as well as they can. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall, 11 °12 March 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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall, 11 °12 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 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?

2 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: St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall, 11 °12 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall, 11 °12 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 March 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of St. Peter's Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall C06 1YU Thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school to see how well you are learning. We enjoyed the time we spent talking to you and visiting your lessons during the two days. You told us a lot about the school, which was very helpful to us. We think you go to a good school which helps you do well in all of the subjects. Your teachers work really hard together as a team to ensure your lessons are interesting and enjoyable. Together with Mr Anderson, your headteacher, they make sure you all progress well academically and personally and are well cared for. You have such attractive classrooms, which celebrate all the good things you have done. You yourselves told us how much you enjoy your school. We think things could be even better. There are lots of good features of teaching across the

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

school and we are asking the teachers to ensure these things happen in all of the lessons. We are also asking them to look even more closely at how well you are doing so that they can plan lessons and other important improvements to help you do better still. Your teachers are already working together to put these things in place but you can help them by working hard in lessons, as you usually do, and also by behaving really well. We wish you all well in the future. Simon Griffiths Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall, 11 °12 March 2008

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