Cockshutt CofE Primary School and Nursery

Cockshutt CofE Primary School Inspection report

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123470 Unique Reference Number Shropshire Local Authority 314604 Inspection number 29 November 2007 Inspection date Ted Wheatley 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 85 School The governing body Appropriate authority John Dickin Chair Heather Dawson Headteacher 6 May 2003 Date of previous school inspection Cockshutt School address Ellesmere SY12 0JE 01939 270616 Telephone number 01939 270616 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 29 November 2007 Inspection date 314604 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. How well the school has dealt with recent underachievement. How the Foundation Stage has improved since the previous inspection. Evidence was gathered from details of current standards and achievement, examination of pupils' work and school documents, observation of lessons, discussions with the headteacher, chair of governors and staff and discussions with pupils. All aspects of the school's work were inspected, but not all aspects of pupils' personal development were investigated in detail. However, 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 the report.

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Description of the school

This is a small school. Pupils come from almost entirely White British backgrounds with very few from minority ethnic families. None are in the early stages of learning English. Children start school in Reception with much lower levels of skills and abilities than those normally expected for their age. Pupils come from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds and the proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is broadly average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties is above average. The headteacher has been in the school just over a year and there have been significant changes in staffing in the school as a whole.

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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: Cockshutt CofE Primary School, 29 November 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good and improving school that is well led and managed. The headteacher provides clear direction for its improvement based on accurate evaluation of the school's strengths and weaknesses, and she is well supported by staff, governors and parents. Staff are fully involved in pushing up standards and governors have high expectations for the school. The resulting improvement in achievement and standards demonstrates that the school's capacity for further improvement is good. Although standards are below average, pupils achieve well from their very low starting points. From the results in national tests in 2007, which were lower than in previous years, the school accurately identified standards of writing and mathematics and the progress of pupils with learning difficulties as areas for improvement. It has made considerable inroads into making sure work is consistently matched to pupils' needs and that support is effective for pupils with

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Grade: 2

learning difficulties. As a result, both standards and achievement have improved, and are continuing to do so. There are still some occasions when pupils do not do as well as they might. For example, in mathematics they lack confidence in using mental calculation processes, and pupils do not always have sufficient opportunities to explain their thinking or understanding. Pupils' personal development is good. The school puts great value on developing pupils' self-esteem and in this it is successful. Pupils are confident and ready to support and help each other. The school's self-evaluation shows pupils to be serious in wanting to adopt healthy lifestyles and in taking an active part in the community. For example, pupils recognise that they do not all eat healthily and take part in physical exercise, but are determined that they will eventually. Through the school council, they have also been involved in helping to develop

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Grade: 2

the school's behaviour policy. Pupils are keen to improve the environment, and the eco-committee organises recycling and composting. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is generally good. Pupils have a good understanding of their own culture and Christianity and a sound grasp of the faiths and cultures of other people found in Britain today. Most pupils behave well and work hard. They like coming to school and their attendance is good. One parent said that 'children cannot wait for each morning, to go to school and learn something new'. Although standards are below average, pupils' enjoyment of learning and good personal development ensure they are satisfactorily prepared for the future. Teaching is good and teachers plan lessons well, matching work closely to pupils' needs. Work is challenging and pupils know what they should be learning. Lessons have a wide range of interesting activities and pupils enjoy this because it helps them to learn well. They especially

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Grade: 2

like using computers and use them confidently. They produce spreadsheets, graphs and presentations about work, for example what they have done in history. The teaching of pupils with learning difficulties is good, with careful, sensitive support from teachers and support staff to help them achieve well. In most lessons, teachers make sure that pupils discuss what they are doing in small groups or in the whole class, therefore making sure that they develop a confident understanding of their work. However, this is not always the case and sometimes there are too few opportunities for pupils to answer questions at length, to express their ideas or to explain their understanding, and this slows their progress. The curriculum is good. There is a wide range of trips and visitors that enrich pupils' experiences in all subjects and contribute well to their achievement. The range of out of school clubs, sports

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Grade: 2

and cultural activities is good too. Pupils enjoy them and readily take part in the activities on 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Cockshutt CofE Primary School, 29 November 2007 offer. The curriculum is well organised to provide work to match pupils' abilities, but it does not have enough planned opportunities for discussion and debate. The quality of the school's care, support and guidance is good. The school goes to great lengths to provide support and guidance for all pupils, especially those who are vulnerable or have learning difficulties. Links with social services, other agencies, local schools and nursery providers, families and the local authority are excellent. The school works hard to sustain and improve these links. The school is safe and secure, and procedures to review and continually improve this are good. Academic guidance for pupils is good. All pupils have targets, most know what they are and most can explain what they need to do to improve their work. Parents are rightly

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Grade: 2

pleased with the school. The great majority support the recent changes made by the headteacher and feel that the school provides a good education for their children. A typical comment is, 'The school is a very happy and friendly place with very enthusiastic teachers who care about what they teach.'

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Grade: 2

Provision is good as a result of recent changes in staffing, acquisition of new resources and improved accommodation. Further improvements for outdoor provision are at an advanced stage of planning. Provision for reception age children has improved since the previous inspection and this has had a positive impact on the progress they make. Children make good progress in most skills, from very low starting points. While the outdoor provision is being improved, progress in developing physical skills is currently satisfactory. Relationships between adults and children are very good, and sensitive support and guidance help children gain personal and social skills rapidly. Patient questioning, prompting and support, and the use of a wide variety of resources, are effective in helping children develop their literacy and numeracy skills and there is marked progress during the current year. Although many children enter Year 1 with lower than expected skills, they continue to receive the good teaching

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Grade: 2

and support they need in the mixed Reception and Year 1 class. This enables the continuous development of skills, particularly children's self-confidence, and helps them to reach their early learning goals. Staff work effectively with parents, carers and nursery providers to help children settle into school quickly.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ What the school should do to improve further

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide pupils with planned opportunities to discuss the work they do and to explain their thinking and understanding in order to raise standards further. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Cockshutt CofE Primary School, 29 November 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: Cockshutt CofE Primary School, 29 November 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? 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 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 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: Cockshutt CofE Primary School, 29 November 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: Cockshutt CofE Primary School, 29 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

1 December 2007 Dear Pupils Cockshutt Church of England Primary School, Cockshutt, Shropshire, SY12 0JE I really enjoyed the day I spent at your school. You were friendly and helpful to me and made me feel very welcome. I spoke to quite a number of you and you gave me a clear picture of why your school is such a good school and how much you like it. These are the main things I found out about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Even though your standards of work are lower than those of many children of your age by the time you leave the school, you make good progress from the time you start and it is getting better all the time. ■ The headteacher and staff are working hard to improve things and make sure that your learning does not slip occasionally. ■ Teaching is good and you really enjoy lessons because teachers make them interesting so that you learn well. ■ The school arranges a wide range of trips and visitors that help make what you do at school even more interesting. You take part in the many clubs and things going on out of school. ■ You are keen to take on responsibilities, including ones that help the school run smoothly. Because of this you become confident that you can do well at school. ■ You know about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and most of you enjoy eating healthily and taking part in physical activities.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The school takes good care of you and is a safe place to be.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

To improve things further, I have asked the school to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ help you do better by making sure that you have lots of opportunities to discuss your work and to explain your understanding and knowledge. You can help yourselves by taking every chance to make sure that you can explain how well you understand, and if you do not, then asking for help. With best wishes Ted Wheatley Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Cockshutt CofE Primary School, 29 November 2007

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SY12 0JE

I really enjoyed the day I spent at your school. You were friendly and helpful to me and made me feel very welcome. I spoke to quite a number of you and you gave me a clear picture of why your school is such a good school and how much you like it.

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SY12 0JE

These are the main things I found out about your school.

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SY12 0JE

• Even though your standards of work are lower than those of many children of your age by the time you leave the school, you make good progress from the time you start and it is getting better all the time. • The headteacher and staff are working hard to improve things and make sure that your learning does not slip occasionally. • Teaching is good and you really enjoy lessons because teachers make them interesting so that you learn well. • The school arranges a wide range of trips and visitors that help make what you do at school even more interesting. You take part in the many clubs and things going on out of school. • You are keen to take on responsibilities, including ones that help the school run smoothly. Because of this you become confident that you can do well at school. • You know about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and most of you enjoy eating healthily and taking part in physical activities.

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SY12 0JE

• The school takes good care of you and is a safe place to be.

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To improve things further, I have asked the school to:

• help you do better by making sure that you have lots of opportunities to discuss your work and to explain your understanding and knowledge.

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To improve things further, I have asked the school to:

You can help yourselves by taking every chance to make sure that you can explain how well you understand, and if you do not, then asking for help.

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