Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School

Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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123115 Unique Reference Number Oxfordshire Local Authority 314501 Inspection number 18 November 2008 Inspection date Keith Williams 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 Voluntary controlled School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 64 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 Mrs G Bickley Chair Mrs K Amos Headteacher 24 May 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Weston Road School address Bletchingdon Kidlington OX5 3DH 01869 350393 Telephone number

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4–11 Age group 18 November 2008 Inspection date 314501 Inspection number 01869 350393 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 18 November 2008 Inspection date 314501 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 11 Inspection Report: Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School, 18 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. Inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school. They investigated whether pupils with learning difficulties are given the support they need to achieve well, how well teaching and the curriculum meet the needs of classes of mixed age and ability, and the extent to which leaders have an accurate view of the school's effectiveness. Evidence was gathered from the analysis of pupils' progress, scrutiny of samples of their work, observation of lessons, parents' questionnaires and discussions with the headteacher, staff, two governors and pupils. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspectors 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 of the pupils at this small school are from White British backgrounds and none is learning English as an additional language. The proportion identified with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those in receipt of a statement of special educational need, is much higher than is usually found. In the main, their needs relate to specific learning and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The proportion eligible for free school meals is below average. The school has Healthy Schools status. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) join at the beginning of the Reception year. Since the beginning of this term, they are taught as a discrete group during the morning and join pupils from Key Stage 1 for the afternoon sessions.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School, 18 November 2008

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Grade: 2

'My child is thriving in the wonderful caring environment at Bletchingdon School. She is making enormous progress through her school work and is very happy and settled.' This is a view shared by many parents, who provide overwhelmingly positive support for this good school. The school takes full advantage of its small size: staff know each pupil very well, which means they are able to keep a close check on pupils' progress and welfare. As a result of good teaching, care and leadership, pupils achieve well academically and make good progress in their personal development. Pupils enjoy school very much and this is reflected in good levels of attendance. When pupils first start school, they arrive with widely differing needs and skills. Across the school a much larger than usual proportion have been identified with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including some who have significant special educational needs. This varies

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Grade: 2

considerably from year to year, however, as does the proportion in each year group who are capable of reaching the higher levels of attainment. This means that the make-up of each cohort, and the standards they reach, vary considerably. The school rightly focuses on tracking individual pupils' progress from their own starting points, and the results of their careful assessments show that most pupils achieve well. Small numbers in each year group mean that analysis of the national test results must be treated cautiously, because the performance of individual pupils can have an exaggerated effect on the results. Nevertheless, the results for pupils in Year 6 have been above average in the last two years. Pupils currently in Year 6 are performing at a lower level than this, but because they started school with lower starting points, it means that they, too, are making good progress. Good progress in basic skills, together with

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Grade: 2

a good range of opportunities to work together, for example to raise funds, means pupils are well prepared for their economic well-being. The school invests considerable time and resources in meeting the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Its success in doing so is appreciated by parents, one of whom noted, 'The school has been outstanding, calm and efficient in dealing with a complex situation.' Good support from outside agencies supplements the expertise of this small staff, and teaching assistants make a significant contribution, a point noted by the pupils themselves. Those pupils identified with emotional, social or behavioural problems are very well supported, so that they make good progress and any disruption to the learning of other pupils is minimised. The school is highly inclusive and the efforts of staff to meet the needs of these pupils is not at the expense

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Grade: 2

of others. For example, more able pupils receive similar individual support and attention. The parent of one child noted how 'the school have worked closely and well with us to support him to be challenged and stimulated'. The curriculum has been adapted successfully to take account of the recent reorganisation of classes and careful planning enables teachers to meet pupils' different needs. Consequently, pupils of all abilities and backgrounds achieve well. Part of the school's success is the way that teachers ensure that lessons are interesting and offer good challenge and support. Planning is clear about what pupils are expected to learn and, because lessons run smoothly, teachers are able to concentrate on ensuring that pupils make progress. For their part, pupils are keen and interested, behave well and try hard. This is reflected in the number of willing hands that go up when a teacher asks a question and

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Grade: 2

contributes to the supportive atmosphere. Teachers receive pupils' answers, comments and suggestions sensitively and any misunderstandings are dealt with swiftly and kindly. Good verbal feedback is given to pupils during lessons. In addition, they are given personal learning targets that highlight what they need to focus on next, although their understanding of these 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School, 18 November 2008 targets is patchy. This has been identified by the staff as an area for development and plans are in hand. Work is marked conscientiously. Some comments give pupils helpful pointers for how they might improve, but this varies from class to class and subject to subject. Teaching assistants support lessons well and the school has identified the need to provide training to extend their skills, for example, in teaching letters and sounds. Staff place a strong emphasis on promoting pupils' all-round development. There are good

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Grade: 2

opportunities for them to extend their learning in clubs and activities outside of lessons. These are very popular among pupils and are well attended. Residential opportunities for pupils in Key Stage 2 enhance their social development, as well as enriching the work they cover in lessons. The school sets a strong moral code, underpinned by Christian values, and this contributes to pupils' good spiritual and moral development. Links with the local community are good and very positive relationships among staff and pupils help the school to promote community cohesion. At present, there are only limited opportunities for pupils to extend their understanding of cultures other than their own. Most pupils behave well and those who find good behaviour a challenge are very well managed. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe and healthy. The headteacher, well supported by staff and governors, leads the school well. A very robust

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Grade: 2

check is kept on the suitability of adults to work with children and the potential risk of activities in and beyond the school. As a small school, staff have many responsibilities to share. They carry out their duties willingly and conscientiously and there is a shared commitment to improving the school's provision. Despite a large teaching commitment, the headteacher has an accurate overview of what is working well and what needs to improve. Governors have a good understanding of their strategic role and they make a good contribution to the school's evaluation of its performance. Together, leaders are now focusing more sharply on judging the impact of the initiatives they introduce on pupils' learning. Their track record shows they have good capacity to secure further improvement.

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Grade: 2

The successful reorganisation of the way that Reception children are grouped and taught is enabling staff to meet their widely differing needs. Staff have a good understanding of how young children learn. Planning gives them regular access to all of the areas of learning. There are good opportunities for children to make choices and decisions about their activities, as well as working under the close direction of an adult. A careful check is kept on the children's day-to-day learning and plans are in hand to improve the way that these are recorded. Children enjoy their time in Reception very much. The outdoor environment is very popular and gives them lots of scope for exciting play. The school, rightly, has plans to improve the outdoor surface and extend the range of activities offered. Nevertheless, the setting is well resourced and good use is made of indoor and outdoor facilities. The EYFS is well led and managed and

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Grade: 2

staff work together well as a team. Good strides have been made to improve the provision since its opening and, rightly, there are clear plans and a strong vision for how it should develop. The focus on the EYFS curriculum is maintained during the afternoon sessions, when the children join pupils in Key Stage 1, and links between mornings and afternoons are becoming increasingly seamless. As a result of the good provision, children achieve well from their starting points and most reach the goals expected of them at the end of Reception. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School, 18 November 2008

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase pupils' understanding of how they can improve their work.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Implement plans to extend and improve EYFS provision. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School, 18 November 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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School, 18 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? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

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

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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/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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School, 18 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 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School, 18 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

01 December 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School,Kidlington,OX5 3DH Thank you for the very friendly way you welcomed us to your school for its recent inspection. A special thank you goes to those of you who found time to speak with us. Your views were very helpful. I am writing to tell you what we found out. Many of you, your parents and the staff told us that this is a good school and we agree. Because your school is small, the adults know you well. This means that they can keep a close eye on you and make sure that the work is just right for you - hard enough for those of you who find learning easy, but with extra help for those who need it. Because your teachers work hard and do a good job, you are making good progress in your work. I enjoyed watching you in lessons and was impressed with how well you behave and how hard you try. This is one of the reasons

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

why you are doing well. You behave well outside of lessons, too. Well done and keep it up, because it is really important. Even though your school is good, your headteacher, staff and governors want it to be even better. They have some good plans. One of the ways they want to improve is to make sure that you know your targets and understand how you should improve. We agree, and we also think when they mark your work they could sometimes give you a clearer picture of what you need to do to improve. We enjoyed watching the children in the new Early Years Foundation area. You are learning well, too, and the staff have worked hard to get everything ready. I am sure your parents enjoyed the 'official opening' on the inspection day. The staff have good plans to make the area even better and we agree that they should do this. We know you will want to help your teachers, so please keep working hard, behaving well and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

reaching your targets! We wish you good luck for the future. Yours sincerely Keith Williams Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Bletchingdon Parochial Church of England Primary School, 18 November 2008

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