Church Langton Church of England Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 28 Jan 2008

Church Langton Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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120207 Unique Reference Number Leicestershire Local Authority 313551 Inspection number 28 January 2008 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 aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 188 School The governing body Appropriate authority John Preston Chair Michael Bailey Headteacher 1 December 2003 Date of previous school inspection Stonton Road School address Church Langton Market Harborough LE16 7SZ 01858 545237 Telephone number 01858 545237 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 28 January 2008 Inspection date 313551 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 inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: pupils’ progress in writing and science, the use of data to check pupils’ progress, the quality of the curriculum, especially enrichment, 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

Most children come from the local community, although some come from neighbouring towns and villages. The proportion identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average, as is the number eligible for free school meals. At the time of the inspection, two classes were being taken by temporary teachers.

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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: Church Langton Church of England Primary School, 28 January 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school, with some outstanding features, especially in the way that adults support pupils' excellent personal development. Pupils are happy, sociable and articulate. Their good behaviour contributes strongly to good learning. 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 explain clearly about why crisps or chocolate are not healthy snacks and they particularly appreciate the many opportunities that they get to be successful in different sports such as tag rugby, netball and football. Very close links with the church have a particularly strong effect on pupils' excellent spiritual development. Pupils achieve well because teaching is good. Teachers generally make learning fun, get on well with the pupils and ensure that there is a good pace to learning in most lessons. Resources are used well to

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Grade: 2

hold pupils' attention. Children get a good start in the Reception Year and then continue to make good progress in the rest of the school. Consequently, standards are well above average by the end of Year 6 in English, mathematics and science. Pupils do especially well in science with many reaching the higher Level 5 in national tests at the end of Year 6. This is because teachers are very enthusiastic about teaching science. They plan challenging work and give pupils good opportunities to apply their skills to practical applications. In English, test results in writing are not as high as they are in reading, with fewer pupils reaching the higher levels. The school has rightly identified that this is because there is not always enough challenge for potentially higher attaining pupils in some writing tasks. An overuse of worksheets means that pupils get too few opportunities to practise and improve their writing skills in across the

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Grade: 2

curriculum and this also slows progress. Pupils greatly enjoy school because the interesting curriculum provides every child with a wide range of purposeful 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 visits, visitors and clubs. These cater for a wide range of interests. Particularly noteworthy is the very high quality of artwork on display around school. This reflects the high quality input of a very skilled teaching assistant. Care, guidance and support are good, with pastoral support being especially strong. As one pupil noted, 'Every teacher is nice and all the children are very friendly.' Pupils say that they feel safe and secure and they know what to do if they have a worry. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported well, enabling them to make

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Grade: 2

good progress. Teachers use marking and targets to help pupils understand how to improve their work, although this practice is not yet consistently good across the school. Pupils are proud of their school and the way it enables them to become responsible young citizens. Throughout the school, pupils happily take responsibility and they make a good contribution to the community. This is clearly seen in the very conscientious way in which the relatively new school council takes on its responsibilities. Councillors are very diligent in their work and they make a good contribution to school development. For example, they selected the playground furniture that has significantly enhanced provision at playtimes. 'Super Leaders', who help pupils at playtime, carry out their roles very sensibly. They organise games and show high levels of care for others. Activities such as these and pupils' good progress in developing basic skills

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Grade: 2

prepare them well for the next stage of their education. The school is well led and managed. The headteacher is setting a clear direction for school improvement. Members of staff and governors work well as a team and they take a good part in monitoring school effectiveness. This means that there is a good understanding of what still needs to be done and the school has already begun to take steps to improve progress in writing. It has gathered a wealth of 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Church Langton Church of England Primary School, 28 January 2008 data about pupils' attainment. This information gives a clear picture of progress over time, but it is not analysed with enough rigour so that leaders can identify and tackle any minor pockets of underachievement as soon as they arise. Nevertheless, the school has demonstrated in the way that it has dealt with issues from the last inspection that it has a good capacity for further

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Grade: 2

improvement. There are good links with parents and outside agencies. Most parents are very pleased with the school. They make a significant contribution to the school's success by supporting their children's learning at home, especially in reading. One parent summed up the views of many by commenting that, 'Both of my children are provided with a balanced, well rounded education and are taught well.' This comment accurately captures the essence of this successful school.

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Grade: 2

Children in the Reception Year achieve well because teaching is good and they are provided with interesting activities. Children make good progress from their mainly above average starting points, and by the start of Year 1, most have comfortably reached or exceeded the expected levels for their age. Children make especially good progress in personal and social development because of the high expectations of all adults and the sensitive way that they are helped to settle when they start school. There is a happy, purposeful atmosphere in class, although children are sometimes expected to sit for too long at the start of lessons. When this happens, the pace of learning slows and some children become fidgety and inattentive. The good curriculum includes effective use of the outdoor area to support learning. For example, children made good progress in developing speaking skills as they acted out the story of 'The Ugly

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Grade: 2

Duckling' using their imagination and various props. Provision is well managed. In the absence of the regular teacher, the headteacher is keeping a watchful eye on the Foundation Stage and is ensuring that good provision is being maintained.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve progress in writing by ensuring that work always stretches the most able and by extending opportunities for practising and improving writing skills in different subjects. ■ Make sharper use of information about pupils' progress to check that all are doing well enough so that any small pockets of underachievement can be tackled quickly. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Church Langton Church of England Primary School, 28 January 2008 .

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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: Church Langton Church of England Primary School, 28 January 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 3 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 2 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?

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: Church Langton Church of England Primary School, 28 January 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Church Langton Church of England Primary School, 28 January 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ 28 January 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Church Langton CE Primary School, Church Langton, LE16 7SZ Thank you for welcoming me to your school and for showing me your work. You are very polite and friendly and well behaved. I enjoyed talking to the school council who are doing a super job in helping the school to improve. I agree with them that your school is good and that it does a lot to help you. Some of the things I found out about your school: ■ Good teaching helps you to learn well and to make good progress. At the moment, you do slightly better in reading than in writing. You make especially good progress in science because you do many exciting experiments. ■ You thoroughly enjoy school because adults make learning exciting by planning many interesting activities and letting you take part in many clubs and visits. The tag rugby game in Leicester sounded great fun. ■ You produce some superb artwork. I loved the clay masks in the entrance hall and you are

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

very lucky to have such skilled help. ■ You have an outstanding understanding of how to stay safe and healthy.

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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 are beginning to understand how to improve your work, although this could still be developed further. ■ Your headteacher, teachers and governors are leading the school well and are working hard to make it even better. ■ Most of your parents and carers are very pleased that you come to this school. What I have asked your school to do now: ■ Help those of you who learn quickly to do better in writing by making sure that you are always challenged in lessons and by giving all of you more opportunities to write in different subjects. ■ Make better use of information about your progress to check that you are all doing well enough from term to term. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with you about your work and watching you learn. I wish you all the best for the future. Yours sincerely Mr M Capper Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Church Langton Church of England Primary School, 28 January 2008

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Annex B

Inspection of Church Langton CE Primary School, Church Langton, LE16 7SZ

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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 well behaved. I enjoyed talking to the school council who are doing a super job in helping the school to improve. I agree with them 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. You make especially good progress in science because you do many exciting experiments. • You thoroughly enjoy school because adults make learning exciting by planning many interesting activities and letting you take part in many clubs and visits. The tag rugby game in Leicester sounded great fun. • You produce some superb artwork. I loved the clay masks in the entrance hall and you are very lucky to have such skilled help. • You have an outstanding understanding of how to stay safe and healthy. • All adults in school are very kind and caring and they give you good help with your work. You are beginning to understand how to improve your work, although this could still be developed further. • Your headteacher, teachers and governors are leading the school well and are working hard to make it even better.

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Annex B

• Most of 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

• Help those of you who learn quickly to do better in writing by making sure that you are always challenged in lessons and by giving all of you more opportunities to write in different subjects. • Make better use of information about your progress to check that you are all doing well enough from term to term.

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Annex B

I thoroughly enjoyed talking with you about your work and watching you learn. I wish you all the best for the future.

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Annex B

Yours sincerely Mr M Capper Lead inspector

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