Eastcombe Primary School

Eastcombe Primary School Inspection report

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115504 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire Local Authority 311954 Inspection number 13 November 2007 Inspection date Lorna Brackstone 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 68 School The governing body Appropriate authority Juliet Edmonds Chair Angela Ayling Headteacher 2 February 2004 Date of previous school inspection Dr Crouch's Road School address Eastcombe Stroud GL6 7EA 01452 770227 Telephone number 01452 770942 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 13 November 2007 Inspection date 311954 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 who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: raising attainment in science, broadening the pupils’ multi-cultural awareness and setting suitably challenging targets. Evidence was gathered through classroom observations, work sampling and discussions with pupils, staff and governors. Following some concerns by parents, other aspects of the school’s work were investigated in detail. These included the consistency in the quality of teaching and learning. The inspector found evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were over-generous.

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Description of the school

All the pupils at this very small rural Victorian school are of White British heritage. A significant minority live outside the immediate local area. Pupils are accommodated in one of three classes: Reception/Year 1, Years 2/3 and Years 4/5/6.

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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: Eastcombe Primary School, 13 November 2007

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Grade: 3

This school provides a satisfactory quality of education. Pupils attend school regularly and enjoy meeting their friends and playing together. There is a strong sense of community. Parents are pleased with the way that the older pupils take good care of the younger ones, enabling them to settle into school well. Involvement in the life of the wider community is good. For example, pupils celebrate the birthdays of senior citizens when they serenade them with their violin playing at the Friday lunch club. Through links with Italy and Africa, they have established a sound understanding of customs and beliefs different from their own. Growing vegetables in the school allotment and then using them to make soup enables the pupils to understand the importance of a healthy diet. Whilst they understand that exercise is important for them, pupils have a limited knowledge of the impact this has on their body. The

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Grade: 3

high quality sporting links, the good range of physical activities offered after school and the annual residential trips to outdoor centres ensure the pupils develop a good range of physical skills and an awareness of working together in a team. Pupils are satisfactorily prepared for the next step in their education. Most pupils feel safe in school because they are looked after well. A significant minority of parents reported that 'there is a warm, caring atmosphere within the school'. Pupils confidently express opinions through the suggestions box and via class councils. However, a significant minority of pupils do not feel that they are able to talk to adults about a problem or concern they might have. Behaviour is satisfactory but a small number of pupils and parents correctly feel that it could improve if rewards and sanctions were more consistent. Standards vary from year to year because the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties

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Grade: 3

and/or disabilities fluctuates within these small year groups. Standards in English and mathematics are generally above average in Years 2 and 6. In relation to the children's starting points, which are just above the expected level, overall achievement is satisfactory. Recently, the exceptionally high standards in science have dipped to average levels. The school is rectifying this through greater use of scientific vocabulary and a more focused revision programme. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) have made a good improvement since the last inspection, when they were below expectations. This is because strong links have been established with the local secondary school, where a specialist ICT suite is used to teach skills. The school's success in a national competition is testimony to the standards in ICT that now exceed expectations at the end of Year 6. Generally, lessons are relaxed and teachers use questions well to involve the pupils. Links

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Grade: 3

between subjects are being established by teachers and this is making learning more exciting and meaningful for the pupils. For example, the older pupils have used black and white materials to create effective night-time war scenes in art and this has successfully supported their work on the Second World War. However, in one or two lessons, activities are planned around the completion of worksheets which do not meet the differing capabilities of the pupils. In most lessons, there is a clear learning focus which means that the pupils can evaluate what they have learnt. Not every teacher is equally skilful in providing this focus, and there are some inconsistencies in the quality of the marking. The leadership team has a sound understanding of how effective the school is. The headteacher regularly evaluates the strengths and weaknesses in teaching, albeit through informal observation procedures. In some classes, especially where pupils are taught by more than one teacher, these

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Grade: 3

4 of 9 Inspection Report: Eastcombe Primary School, 13 November 2007 procedures do not always provide her with sufficiently accurate information for her to pinpoint specific inconsistencies and points for improvement. The school has good information on how well each pupil is doing and although this is used satisfactorily to set challenging targets for improvement, class teachers do not always incorporate this systematically into their planning. This means that some of the activities planned by the teachers do not always match all of the different ages and abilities of the pupils. Governors have a growing awareness of the areas requiring development. They have started to use their expertise well to support the headteacher in evaluating the school. Although the headteacher, staff and governors have judged their school to be a good school, the inspection judges its effectiveness to be satisfactory. The school has rectified the issues

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Grade: 3

raised at the last inspection and the leaders show continued commitment to improving the school. However, as a significant minority of parents pointed out, some teachers who share classes are not working as a team. This limits the school's capacity for improvement, which is satisfactory.

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Grade: 3

Provision in the Foundation Stage (Reception) is satisfactory. Children make a sound start to school because staff have a secure understanding of the developmental needs of young children. The school ensures that these youngsters are well prepared before they start and this means that they settle quickly into school routines. As one parent rightly explained, 'The entry into Reception is nice and gentle and the needs of individual children are considered'. The children make satisfactory progress in Reception and most attain the expected levels by the time they move onto Year 1. Interesting role-play areas, such as 'caves', are created. However, their use as a learning area is limited because of the extremely cramped indoor accommodation. The adjoining outdoor area is not sufficiently well developed and, consequently, there are missed opportunities for their learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ rectify the inconsistencies in teaching and ensure that staff share the same principles for rewards and sanctions ■ introduce consistent ways of marking pupils' work so that they have a clear understanding of how they should improve ■ develop rigorous monitoring procedures to check how well the school is performing. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before the next section 5 inspection. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Eastcombe Primary School, 13 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: Eastcombe Primary School, 13 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? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

3 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 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 3 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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and interests of learners?

3 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: Eastcombe Primary School, 13 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 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: Eastcombe Primary School, 13 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 November 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Eastcombe Primary School, Stroud, GL6 7EA Thank you very much for making me so welcome at your school. I enjoyed spending the day with you all. A special thank you to the pupils I spoke to who helped me to find out all about life at Eastcombe Primary. Your school provides you with a satisfactory education. By the time you are ready to move onto secondary school, you have reached above average standards in your work. You make sound progress because the quality of teaching is satisfactory. Teachers plan some interesting lessons but I agree with you when you say that sometimes the activities are 'a bit boring'. Most of you behave appropriately and are respectful towards your environment. You enjoy meeting your friends at school and I was impressed with the way that the older pupils look after the younger children. I enjoyed hearing all about the ICT competition you won and was

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

impressed with all the different ways you raise money for charity. Most of you feel safe because the school looks after you satisfactorily. You use the suggestions box and school council well to express your opinions and views. You have a sound understanding of how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I have asked your headteacher to check that the adults in school work more consistently. I have asked your teachers to improve the quality of marking in your books so that you know what the next step in your learning is. I have also asked the people who lead and manage your school to develop ways in which they can check how well it performs. Once again, thank you for your help. Keep doing your best and working with the adults to make sure that Eastcombe Primary gets even better and better. With best wishes Lorna Brackstone Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Eastcombe Primary School, 13 November 2007

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Inspection of Eastcombe Primary School, Stroud, GL6 7EA

Thank you very much for making me so welcome at your school. I enjoyed spending the day with you all. A special thank you to the pupils I spoke to who helped me to find out all about life at Eastcombe Primary.

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Inspection of Eastcombe Primary School, Stroud, GL6 7EA

Your school provides you with a satisfactory education. By the time you are ready to move onto secondary school, you have reached above average standards in your work. You make sound progress because the quality of teaching is satisfactory. Teachers plan some interesting lessons but I agree with you when you say that sometimes the activities are ‘a bit boring’.

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Inspection of Eastcombe Primary School, Stroud, GL6 7EA

Most of you behave appropriately and are respectful towards your environment. You enjoy meeting your friends at school and I was impressed with the way that the older pupils look after the younger children. I enjoyed hearing all about the ICT competition you won and was impressed with all the different ways you raise money for charity.

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Inspection of Eastcombe Primary School, Stroud, GL6 7EA

Most of you feel safe because the school looks after you satisfactorily. You use the suggestions box and school council well to express your opinions and views. You have a sound understanding of how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Inspection of Eastcombe Primary School, Stroud, GL6 7EA

I have asked your headteacher to check that the adults in school work more consistently. I have asked your teachers to improve the quality of marking in your books so that you know what the next step in your learning is. I have also asked the people who lead and manage your school to develop ways in which they can check how well it performs.

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Inspection of Eastcombe Primary School, Stroud, GL6 7EA

Once again, thank you for your help. Keep doing your best and working with the adults to make sure that Eastcombe Primary gets even better and better.

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