Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School

Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School Inspection report

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116807 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire Local Authority 312409 Inspection number 12 September 2007 Inspection date Mike Capper 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 90 School The governing body Appropriate authority Richard Powell-Chandler Chair Paul Kilgallon Headteacher 6 May 2003 Date of previous school inspection Corse Lawn School address Gloucester GL19 4LZ 01452 780309 Telephone number 01452 780309 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 12 September 2007 Inspection date 312409 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 an Additional Inspector. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: pupils’ progress in writing, the role of subject leaders, and the quality of the curriculum and pupils’ personal development and well-being. Evidence was gathered from observations of pupils at work and play, discussion with staff, governors and pupils, scrutiny of documentation and an analysis of parents’ views. 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 given 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

In this small school, many children live outside the village of Corse Lawn and attend through parental choice. The proportion identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average, as is the number eligible for free school meals. Most children are working at nationally expected levels for their age when they start school in the Reception Year. At the time of the inspection, extensive building work meant that two classes were working in the hall.

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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: Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School, 12 September 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school, with some outstanding features. Parents rightfully hold the school in high regard and it is successful in meeting its aim of helping pupils to 'enjoy, learn and succeed'. Pupils achieve well because teaching and learning are good. Teachers make learning fun and successfully meet pupils' differing needs in lessons. They plan interesting and engaging work that leads to high levels of motivation among pupils. Children receive a strong start in the Reception class, where provision is good. Pupils continue to make good progress in the rest of the school. Standards are well above average by the end of Year 6 in English, mathematics and science. Throughout the school, standards in writing are not quite as high as those in reading. The school has rightly identified that, while most pupils make good progress overall in writing, a few pupils continue to make avoidable mistakes in their everyday writing and do not always

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Grade: 2

check their work carefully enough when they have finished. Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils greatly enjoy school because the excellent curriculum provides every child with a wide range of experiences. Visits and visitors support learning well and help pupils to gain many new skills. Pupils especially enjoy the outstanding way in which the curriculum is enriched by activities outside lessons. As one parent noted, the very large number of clubs reflects the willingness of staff to 'go the extra mile to make the school a happy place to be'. Rates of attendance are above average. The school has many links with establishments in other countries through a European Community project and all pupils learn German from the Reception Year onwards. These activities contribute well to pupils' outstanding cultural awareness. The care, guidance and support given to pupils are good, with pastoral support being especially

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Grade: 2

strong. In this small school, adults know each pupil well. Pupils say that they feel safe and secure and they know what to do if they have a worry. Pupils with learning difficulties are identified quickly and supported well, enabling them to make good progress. Academic support is good. The school has a great deal of data about pupils' attainment in English and mathematics. This information is used effectively to set challenging targets and to identify pupils who need additional support. Pupils would rightly like to have similar targets in other subjects, especially science. Procedures for tracking pupils' progress in science are less well developed than in English and mathematics. As a result, it is less easy for teachers to check progress from year to year or to set pupils targets for improvement in science. Pupils are justifiably proud of their school and the way it enables them to become responsible

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Grade: 2

young citizens. One pupil rightly commented that, 'Teachers make school exciting and look after us well'. Pupils behave exceptionally well at all times and are confident and articulate. The school's very good efforts to promote positive values are reflected in the pupils' excellent understanding of how to adopt healthy lifestyles and to stay safe. They grow their own produce in the school garden and they particularly appreciate the many opportunities that they get to take part in and be successful in different sports. Throughout the school, pupils happily take responsibility and they make a very positive contribution to the community. They contribute to the village newsletter and show a good concern for the welfare of others by raising funds for charities. School councillors take their responsibilities seriously and make a good contribution to school life. These activities and pupils' good progress in developing basic skills prepare them

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Grade: 2

well for the next stage of their education. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School, 12 September 2007 The school is well led and managed. The reflective and purposeful leadership of the headteacher has ensured that the school has continued to move forward quickly since the last inspection. Members of staff and governors work well as a team and they share the headteacher's commitment to ensuring that pupils fulfil their potential. This is reflected in every aspect of school life. There is a good understanding of what still needs to be done, based on good systems for checking how well the school is doing. Subject leaders are becoming increasingly involved in this process as their skills have improved following training and support from the headteacher. The school has successfully demonstrated in the way that it has improved progress of children in the Reception Year since the last inspection that it has a good capacity for further

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Grade: 2

improvement. The school has outstanding links with parents and works very closely with other schools to support pupils' learning. For example, the opportunity to go on a residential visit with other local schools contributes well to pupils' excellent social skills. Parents make a significant contribution to the school's success by supporting their children's learning at home. One parent summed up the views of many by commenting that, 'We are thankful we have found such a nurturing school for our daughter. The enthusiasm of staff has made the school a place she wants to be at the end of the holidays'. This comment accurately captures the essence of this successful school.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the Foundation Stage is good. Children make good progress and, by the start of Year 1, most are working at or beyond the expected levels for their age. Children do well because teaching is good. Teachers and teaching assistants give sensitive help and take good account of children's different starting points to ensure that there are good levels of challenge in lessons. Very good induction systems ensure that children quickly settle in and learn new routines. At the time of the inspection, children in the Reception class had only been in school three days, but they were already remarkably settled, showing very positive attitudes toward learning and beginning to make sensible choices about activities on which they would like to work. Despite restrictions to the accommodation caused by building work, there is a good curriculum. Adults make particularly good use of the outdoor 'forest classroom' to teach children about the

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Grade: 2

environment and about caring for living things.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve pupils' ability to edit and check their written work so that careless mistakes are avoided. ■ Extend procedures for tracking pupils' progress to science in order to set targets for them and to track pupils' achievement more closely. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School, 12 September 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: Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School, 12 September 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? 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 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?

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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School, 12 September 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 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School, 12 September 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Children Inspection of Eldersfield Lawn C of E Primary School, Corse Lawn, Gloucestershire GL19 4LZ Thank you for welcoming me to your school and for showing me your work. You are very polite and friendly and exceptionally well behaved. I agree with you that your school is good and that it does a lot to help you. Some of the things I found out about your school:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Good teaching helps you to learn well and to make good progress. At the moment, you do slightly better in reading than in writing. In writing, some of you occasionally make avoidable mistakes and do not always check it carefully enough. ■ You thoroughly enjoy school because adults make learning exciting by planning many interesting activities and letting you take part in many clubs and visits. ■ Your understanding of how to stay safe and healthy is outstanding. It is great that you are learning to grow your own food in the garden club. ■ You are very good at speaking German and know a lot about different countries.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ All adults in school are very kind and caring and they give you good help with your work. You were able to talk about your targets in English and mathematics and can see that they are helping you to improve. I agree with you that similar targets in science would be helpful. ■ The headteacher, governors and teachers are leading the school well and are working hard to make the school even better. ■ Your parents and carers are very pleased that you come to this school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

What I have asked your school to do now:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that you check your written work more carefully and avoid careless errors.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Set targets for you and more closely check your progress from year to year in science.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I thoroughly enjoyed talking with you about your work and watching you learn. I wish you all well for the future. I hope you continue to help your teachers by working hard and always doing your best work when writing. Yours sincerely Mr M Capper 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Eldersfield Lawn CofE Primary School, 12 September 2007

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Annex B

Inspection of Eldersfield Lawn C of E Primary School, Corse Lawn, Gloucestershire GL19 4LZ

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Annex B

Thank you for welcoming me to your school and for showing me your work. You are very polite and friendly and exceptionally well behaved. I agree with you that your school is good and that it does a lot to help you.

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Annex B

Some of the things I found out about your school:

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Annex B

• Good teaching helps you to learn well and to make good progress. At the moment, you do slightly better in reading than in writing. In writing, some of you occasionally make avoidable mistakes and do not always check it carefully enough. • You thoroughly enjoy school because adults make learning exciting by planning many interesting activities and letting you take part in many clubs and visits. • Your understanding of how to stay safe and healthy is outstanding. It is great that you are learning to grow your own food in the garden club. • You are very good at speaking German and know a lot about different countries. • All adults in school are very kind and caring and they give you good help with your work. You were able to talk about your targets in English and mathematics and can see that they are helping you to improve. I agree with you that similar targets in science would be helpful. • The headteacher, governors and teachers are leading the school well and are

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Annex B

working hard to make the school even better. • Your parents and carers are very pleased that you come to this school.

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Annex B

What I have asked your school to do now:

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Annex B

• Make sure that you check your written work more carefully and avoid careless errors. • Set targets for you and more closely check your progress from year to year in science.

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Annex B

I thoroughly enjoyed talking with you about your work and watching you learn. I wish you all well for the future. I hope you continue to help your teachers by working hard and always doing your best work when writing.

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