Drayton Community Primary School

Drayton Community Primary School Inspection report

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123059 Unique Reference Number Oxfordshire Local Authority 314471 Inspection number 26 November 2008 Inspection date Enid Korn Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 118 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Ciaran McDonnell Chair Mr David Mayer Headteacher 27 June 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Hilliat Fields School address Drayton Abingdon OX14 4JF

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4–11 Age group 26 November 2008 Inspection date 314471 Inspection number 01235 531316 Telephone number 01235 531316 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 26 November 2008 Inspection date 314471 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. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Drayton Community Primary School, 26 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average community school in the village of Drayton near Abingdon. There is a small number of pupils from minority ethnic groups and few of these are believed to have English as an additional language. There are average proportions of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, predominantly with speech, language and communication difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The school has undergone two partial rebuilds since the last inspection. There is a pre-school on-site that is not under the management of the governing body. The school has gained the Eco-Schools Silver, Activemark and the Healthy School awards. The headteacher has been in position for 10 weeks.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Drayton Community Primary School, 26 November 2008

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Grade: 3

Drayton Community Primary School provides a satisfactory standard of education where pupils' achievement is satisfactory and standards are broadly average. There has been some recent improvement in standards, particularly in science. The presentation of pupils' work by Year 6 is now satisfactory, an improvement from the last inspection. The provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the care and guidance that these pupils receive is good. Therefore, these pupils achieve well and make good progress from their starting points, and most attain nationally expected standards by Year 6. Improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory. The school has a new headteacher. His evaluation of the school is accurate and the impact of his leadership is already evident. The assessment and monitoring of the progress of all pupils is now more frequent, and the systems governing it more rigorous. The results are carefully

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Grade: 3

evaluated and are shared with teachers so that they are involved in this process. The headteacher has accurately identified that standards of writing need to be raised, particularly those of the more-able pupils. He is gaining the confidence of parents; as one stated, 'We have seen great improvements this year throughout the school.' The personal development of the pupils is good. Pupils are happy and enjoy their schooling due to good relationships throughout the school and the opportunities for working with others. Pupils say, 'All the teachers know what you want and listen to you. The children are nice and you make friends easily.' The pupils' social skills are outstanding. They work and cooperate very well together in their mixed-age classes, and are very keen to help others in their school community. These positive attitudes are reflected in good attendance and behaviour contributing well to pupils' achievement. Incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils' knowledge of how to stay

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Grade: 3

safe is good and they lead healthy lifestyles. The teaching and the curriculum are satisfactory. Strengths in the teaching are the good relationships with pupils, and clear explanations so that pupils understand what they are being asked to do. Consequently, pupils make satisfactory progress and make good gains in their self-confidence. The care and guidance provided for pupils are good in many aspects; academic guidance is satisfactory. Plans for staff training are rightly focused on better use of targets and assessment information to raise teachers' expectations, and to ensure that all pupils are appropriately challenged. The headteacher has initiated innovative approaches to raising standards in writing, and a more creative approach to curriculum planning which provides greater challenge by linking subjects together. Plans for restructuring the curriculum provision for mathematics are in place. Subject coordinators monitor some aspects of the provision in their areas of responsibility and

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Grade: 3

have brought about improvements such as those in practical science. They are not accustomed to systematic monitoring of pupils' progress year-on-year, or to evaluating the achievement of different ability groups. The tracking of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good. The governors of the school make constructive criticisms in relation to the school's pastoral role but need to extend this to all aspects of the school's work. The school makes a satisfactory contribution to community cohesion. It demonstrates a satisfactory capacity for further improvement. 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Drayton Community Primary School, 26 November 2008

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Grade: 3

Most children enter the Reception year with levels of skills and knowledge expected for their age. They make satisfactory progress, so that by the time they leave Reception year they have reached the expected levels. They make a good start in their personal development. The Early Years Foundation Stage classroom offers a warm and inviting environment where children's views are valued, and because of this their self-esteem grows. Children of all ages mix well together and the children's behaviour is good. Good links exist with the pre-school provision and with parents so that the arrangements for children starting school are good and flexible, meeting individual needs. There is an appropriately planned balance between the child-initiated and adult-led activities. Activities are well organised and inviting. At times, the whole-class teaching sessions are too long, with a lack of pace and extension for the higher-ability children.

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Grade: 3

Adults encourage children to develop their independence by selecting their own activities. However, they do not ensure that all children are purposefully employed at these times. Nor does the timetable always allow children to fully extend and pursue their own ideas. Adults plan carefully to meet the needs of both year groups, particularly in literacy. Children receive a good grounding in phonics which suitably prepares them for the next stage of learning. Indoors, good use is made of the space available, and numerous resources are used effectively covering all areas of learning. The outdoor area is not utilised as fully, and plans are in place to develop this area into a more stimulating learning environment.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve achievement by raising teachers' expectations and use of assessment information and the level of challenge in the curriculum. ■ Ensure that the monitoring and evaluation aspects of leadership are distributed appropriately across the school. 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

The achievement of pupils is satisfactory. From starting points that are around those expected for their age pupils make satisfactory progress, and by the end of Year 6 standards are broadly average. The progress that pupils make accelerates in Year 6 due to the small booster groups that they attend. There has been a recent rise in standards in mathematics and science, but less improvement in English. The school accurately attributes this to weaker standards in writing. Standards at the end of Year 2 are around average. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those with speech and language difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, make good progress due to the many intervention programmes and the focused support that they receive. 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Drayton Community Primary School, 26 November 2008

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Grade: 2

Pupils are enthusiastic about their school and enjoy their learning. They lead a healthy lifestyle and are well aware of the need to eat sensibly and to take exercise. They have a good knowledge of how to stay safe. Their spiritual, moral, and cultural development are good. For example, older pupils reflect upon their learning at the end of lessons and upon the symbolism in paintings. Pupils' social development is outstanding. Younger more-able pupils willingly help others and encourage them, for example with their reading. Older pupils lead playground games and organise events to help others. When given collaborative tasks, they discuss and work well together to achieve their goal. Pupils show a good level of involvement in their school community, but less so in their village community. They enjoy having responsibilities and take them seriously. Pupils are satisfactorily equipped for their future economic well-being. They

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Grade: 2

have good spoken communication skills but their written communication skills are not as well developed.

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Grade: 3

Relationships between teachers and their pupils are good. Teachers manage their pupils well and use the rewards system effectively. As a result, pupils are well behaved and attentive. They respond enthusiastically when given practical tasks. Teachers usually plan for pupils to work collaboratively; this adds to their enjoyment and contributes to their well-developed social skills. Teachers use computer technology satisfactorily to focus their pupils' attention and aid their learning. In some lessons, teachers expect pupils to sit and listen for overly lengthy periods and they become restless. Some teachers use ongoing assessment and questioning effectively to match work to the ability of each pupil, and the pupils make good progress in these lessons. In other lessons, work is not differentiated sufficiently. This slows the pace of lessons and leads to lack of challenge for the more able. Work is accurately marked.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum meets all statutory requirements. Standards in writing have been identified as needing improvement. Writing generally is receiving a greater focus across the school. Pupils are enjoying the opportunity to create stories and play scripts. Pupils particularly enjoy the practical activities such as creating electric circuits in science. There are plans to restructure the provision for mathematics. Appropriate intervention programmes ensure that the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are met well. Planning for extending the more-able pupils is not as well established. The headteacher is leading a more creative approach to curriculum planning which links subjects together in order to provide more challenge. The curriculum promotes the personal development and well-being of the pupils well. The lunchtime and after-school clubs cover many different sporting activities.

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Grade: 3

7 of 12 Inspection Report: Drayton Community Primary School, 26 November 2008

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Grade: 3

The school provides good levels of pastoral care. Parents praise the school's happy and caring nature. As one parent commented, 'The teaching staff really look after the children, creating a safe and secure environment.' They also comment on the good support when pupils transfer to secondary school. Good care and support are provided for the more vulnerable pupils. Pupils say they are well looked after and have someone to talk to. A healthy lifestyle is well promoted. Academic guidance is satisfactory. Parents and pupils discuss targets at parental consultation evenings but these are not used effectively in the teaching. Targets are not directly referred to in the marking, and this reduces their effectiveness as a tool for accelerating progress. The headteacher is starting to improve the accuracy of assessments and has already set more challenging targets for many pupils. The school building is bright, clean and secure.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has made an accurate evaluation of the school's strengths and identified where to make improvements. He regularly observes and monitors the teaching. He has strengthened the systems for tracking the pupils' progress. The part-time coordinator for learning difficulties and/or disabilities provides good leadership and uses her good links with outside agencies well. Governors know the school well, observing aspects of its work and monitoring standards. Their priority in the past year has been the appointment of the headteacher. They now plan to use their growing range of expertise for the well-being of the school. Their role as a 'critical friend' needs further development so that they work in partnership with the headteacher to move the school forward. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Drayton Community Primary School, 26 November 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. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Drayton Community Primary School, 26 November 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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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 capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 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/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Drayton Community Primary School, 26 November 2008

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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 The extent to which 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Drayton Community Primary School, 26 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

09 December 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Drayton Community Primary School,Abingdon,OX14 4JF The inspectors were very pleased to visit your school. We found that it provides you with a satisfactory education. Thank you for making us feel so welcome. We really enjoyed talking to you and visiting your lessons. As promised, I am writing to tell you what we found out about your school. We were impressed by your good behaviour, and in particular how well you work with each other. You all work well with your teachers and you enjoy your school. We think that your school looks after you well and that your new headteacher is introducing some good new ideas. Your teachers give you many opportunities to work together, which you do very sensibly. We were very impressed by the way that you help each other and work for the good of others. We have asked your teachers to give you more opportunities for writing, and to give you more

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

challenges in your work. The teachers who are in charge of subjects will be working regularly with the headteacher to see how you are improving, so you need to work hard. Well done, and I wish you all the very best. Yours sincerely Enid Korn Lead Inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Drayton Community Primary School, 26 November 2008

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