Tutshill Church of England Primary School

Tutshill Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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115655 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire Local Authority 312015 Inspection number 27 °28 March 2008 Inspection dates Colin Lee 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 207 School The governing body Appropriate authority Marion Evans Chair Richard Phillips Headteacher 15 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection Coleford Road School address Tutshill Chepstow NP16 7BJ 01291 622593 Telephone number 01291 625964 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 27 °28 March 2008 Inspection dates 312015 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This school is smaller than an average size primary school. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage, with a very small number from minority ethnic groups. All pupils speak English fluently. Children's attainment on entry is at typical levels for their age. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is slightly above average. The headteacher has been in post since September 2007.

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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: Tutshill Church of England Primary School, 27 °28 March 2008

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory standard of education. It has some good features. The new headteacher is already showing a positive influence on the school by providing firm leadership and introducing a range of initiatives to speed up school improvement. This is necessary because, although the school has achieved above average results in the national tests for Year 6 pupils for several years, these results have disguised the uneven progress of pupils during their time in school. Various measures are now in place to improve the uneven achievement and they are beginning to work. Currently, standards in Year 6 are much higher in English, mathematics and science than those expected at this age. Progress is now more consistent than it was and achievement is satisfactory overall. The main changes starting to occur now are: good progress in the Foundation Stage causing standards to rise by entry to Year 1, progress is maintained

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Grade: 3

by the end of Year 2 and there is more consistent progress in Years 3 to 6. There is still work to do in Years 3 and 4, where progress is slower than in Years 5 and 6, but improvement is starting to be seen there too. Improvement is happening because of more effective teaching and rigorous checking of pupils' progress year on year. These developments are the result of the work of the headteacher and the senior leadership team who, in turn, are getting good support from the local authority. The overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory, although that in the Foundation Stage and Year 6 is of a particularly high quality. Senior leaders monitor teaching closely and their guidance is helping many teachers to become more effective. Teachers generally make sure that pupils' learning builds on the stage they have reached, although this is not entirely consistent; for example, in Years 3 and 4, there is not enough checking lesson by lesson of the

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Grade: 3

points pupils reach in their literacy and numeracy to ensure steady progress in both subjects. The curriculum is satisfactory and includes strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy from the moment children start school. The curriculum has some good features, such as the range of learning opportunities outside lessons for pupils in Years 3 to 6. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good, which is shown by their enjoyment of school and their good attendance. Whilst behaviour is good overall, many pupils talk of the lack of consideration shown by a very small number of older pupils at playtimes. Too few pupils have opportunities to take on responsibilities, such as school council membership or in the role of playground mediators, and this limits the chances for the majority to contribute to their community. Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. While pastoral care is good, academic guidance is variable in aspects

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Grade: 3

such as the marking of pupils' work, which in a few classes does not guide pupils well enough on how they can improve. Leadership and management are satisfactory at present. Although positive steps are being taken, it is too soon to see the impact of some of the changes introduced by the headteacher. Some things are having immediate effect, such as the involvement of staff and governors in school self-evaluation. The school knows itself well and its judgements are accurate. There is continued attention to improving the monitoring of behaviour at lunchtime. Monitoring of teaching is leading to improvement in many pupils' learning, which, in turn, is raising expectations, and improving achievement. The impact of some of these recent initiatives is sufficient to show that the school has a good capacity for further improvement. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Tutshill Church of England Primary School, 27 °28 March 2008

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Grade: 2

The Foundation Stage gives children a good start to their education. They enjoy the wide range of opportunities to learn and play both indoors and in the well-designed outdoor area. In particular, they enjoy their weekly forest school experience in which they learn about the local environment. Good management of the Foundation Stage ensures that children's learning is monitored thoroughly. This leads to appropriate amendments to planning to ensure that the learning activities meet the needs of individual children. Staff are skilled at taking opportunities as they arise to promote learning, for example, snack time developed into a discussion in which children worked out the number of extra drinks needed for a different number of children. Parents are well involved both in classroom experiences and in encouraging their children's learning at home. Having identified the reasons for previous slow personal, social and emotional

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Grade: 2

development, staff have reorganised the provision effectively so that children have more opportunities for cooperative learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve teaching and learning by making more consistent use of the information from assessment of pupils' learning to ensure that pupils build on what they know and understand, especially in Years 3 and 4 in English and mathematics. ■ Increase the opportunities for pupils of all ages to have specific responsibilities and contribute to the school community. 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 their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Children's good progress in the Foundation Stage is being built on satisfactorily in Years 1 and 2. Pupils in Year 2 are on track to attain standards by the end of the school year which are above the expected levels in reading and mathematics and in line with the expected standards in writing. This reverses the recent trend of falling standards by the end of Year 2. In the past, the progress of pupils in Years 3 and 4 has slowed and too many pupils in these years have not achieved as well as they should. This has limited pupils' achievement by the end of Year 6. This situation is improving, with achievement being better, particularly in Year 3. Year 5 pupils' progress is good. Pupils make rapid progress in Year 6 due to some high quality teaching. The current Year 6 pupils have had challenging targets set for them by the end of the year. The impact of the teaching has been to put the pupils in line to exceed these targets

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Grade: 3

and to attain high standards in English, mathematics and science. Reading is a notable strength with over four fifths of the class on track to attain the higher Level 5.

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Grade: 2

Good overall personal development is apparent in most pupils' good relationships with each other and with adults. They appreciate experiences such as their weekly church assembly, which contribute well to good spiritual and moral development. They take an active part in lessons, 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Tutshill Church of England Primary School, 27 °28 March 2008 responding well to teachers' questions and enjoying seeing displays of their work. They discuss right and wrong behaviour thoughtfully. Behaviour in lessons and assemblies is often excellent but slips at recreation times. Many pupils refer to the inconsiderate actions and poor behaviour of a few older pupils at play and lunchtimes, although this was not evident during the inspection. Pupils' active play and enjoyment of healthy food shows that they know how to keep healthy. They have good awareness of safe practices at school and home. Pupils learn about different

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Grade: 2

cultures and speak of them with admiration and respect. Year 6 pupils are proud of the school's contributions to charity. They have also raised funds for playground developments suggested by their own committee. The school council is underdeveloped and unrepresentative, giving pupils too little time to have an impact and denying pupils other than those in Year 6 the opportunity to be involved in the council's contribution to school life.

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Grade: 3

There are variations in the quality of teaching and learning across the school and these are having a direct effect on pupils' rates of progress. Weaknesses in teaching are generally specific to individuals and close monitoring and guidance by senior staff is gradually increasing their effectiveness. Teachers are consistent and effective in their use of assessment to provide information about pupils' progress over the longer term. This information is gathered three times a year and helps to check if pupils are progressing satisfactorily overall. In individual lessons, although teachers provide different learning activities for groups of pupils of different abilities, the tasks do not always match the current stage of learning of the pupils. This is because there is inconsistency between teachers in their ongoing checking of pupils' progress during lessons to establish levels of knowledge and understanding. Where this is happening

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Grade: 3

successfully, teachers gain an accurate picture of pupils' starting points and can then set suitable short-term targets for pupils, which helps their learning, particularly of basic literacy and numeracy skills. Teachers work closely with the school's knowledgeable teaching assistants, who often have good impact on the learning and progress of the pupils they work with.

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Grade: 3

The school is beginning to move towards a more creative curriculum in which linked subjects make learning more interesting. The planning of these topics includes good opportunities for pupils to apply their literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills. However, this linked approach, whilst very much part of the good provision in the Foundation Stage, is not yet fully in place throughout the school. The curriculum is relevant and uses the pupils' surroundings, drawing well on the environment of the Forest of Dean and the nearby church. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 are enthusiastic about the wide range of clubs, visits and experiences that they have outside their lessons, but the range of extra-curricular activities for younger pupils is thin. Older pupils are encouraged to think about the needs of the environment and the school acts upon their suggestions, such as using less electricity for unnecessary lighting.

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Grade: 3

6 of 11 Inspection Report: Tutshill Church of England Primary School, 27 °28 March 2008

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Grade: 3

Children are well looked after from the moment they start school. They settle down happily and there are good links with the local high school to help Year 6 to move on with confidence. Staff meet health and safety requirements in full and there is generally a good level of pastoral care, although inappropriate behaviour by a small minority at lunchtime is not dealt with vigilantly enough. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are met well by work that is matched to their performance. A wide range of small groups are created to address specific needs, such as spelling, mathematics and social skills, and the teaching assistants working with these groups provide good support. Throughout the school, marking of pupils' work is inconsistent and varies in the extent to which it tells pupils how to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has quickly gained a clear vision of where and how the school can improve. The senior leadership team, by responding actively to the headteacher's leadership, is starting to have a positive impact on the school. This is chiefly through ensuring that there is secure evidence to show the improvement in pupils' achievement and through initiatives to make teaching more effective. These initiatives include a detailed analysis of all the information arising from testing and assessment of pupils' learning. This analysis is used successfully to identify rates of progress of individual pupils and to put in place any action necessary to improve that progress. From their observation of learning and teaching and scrutiny of pupils' work, the literacy and numeracy leaders have gained detailed knowledge of standards across the school. Their analyses of strengths and weaknesses in pupils' work effectively guides staff to

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Grade: 3

ways of improving achievement. These measures are working insofar as standards at the end of Year 2 are rising and some of the fluctuations in progress in Years 3 to 6 are being reduced, although there is still work to do here. Governors have gained a secure understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. They are supportive and fully endorse the headteacher's priorities for improving pupils' achievement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Tutshill Church of England Primary School, 27 °28 March 2008 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Tutshill Church of England Primary School, 27 °28 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

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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 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 3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Tutshill Church of England Primary School, 27 °28 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 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Tutshill Church of England Primary School, 27 °28 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

31 March 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Tutshill Church of England Primary School, Chepstow NP16 7BJ Thank you for making us welcome in your school and for talking with us so willingly. We thoroughly enjoyed joining you in lessons and seeing you at work. We think your school gives you a satisfactory education overall and some things are good. This is what we particularly appreciated:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Children in Reception make a good start to their education.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Most of you are making at least satisfactory progress, and those of you in Year 6 are making good progress and are achieving high standards in English, mathematics and science. ■ Your behaviour in lessons is good and this makes your school a friendly, pleasant place, although many of you told us that you are concerned about how a few older pupils behave at playtimes. ■ You understand well the importance of healthy eating and exercise and about what are safe things to do at school and home. ■ You say how much you enjoy the many clubs and activities out of school hours.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ All the adults do a good job in looking after you and making sure that you are safe and get help whenever you need it. ■ The headteacher and all the adults, including the governors, are working hard to improve the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ We have two recommendations to help your school to get even better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your work in lessons must be checked carefully to see that the next work you do is just right for you and so you make enough progress each year. ■ Pupils of all ages should be given responsibilities around the school, such as being on the school council or helping one another at playtimes. We hope you will carry on enjoying learning and helping your teachers to make Tutshill Primary School to be an even better school. Yours sincerely Colin Lee Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Tutshill Church of England Primary School, 27 °28 March 2008

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