Selattyn CofE Primary School

Selattyn CE Primary School Inspection report

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123499 Unique Reference Number Shropshire Local Authority 314614 Inspection number 22 May 2008 Inspection date Doris Bell 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 75 School The governing body Appropriate authority Nicola Hill Chair Claire Heskins Headteacher 15 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection Glyn Road School address Selattyn Oswestry SY10 7DH 01691 659744 Telephone number 01691 652358 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 22 May 2008 Inspection date 314614 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, who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: provision and progress in the Foundation Stage, and progress in Years 1 to 6, especially for higher ability pupils in mathematics the quality and use of assessment procedures and their impact on pupils' achievement the impact of leaders and managers at all levels on improving pupils' achievement and promoting their personal development and well-being. Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, scrutiny of national published assessment data, analysis of the school's tracking and assessment data and discussions with the headteacher, staff, governors and pupils. The views of parents were gathered from the returns of Ofsted questionnaires. 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 were not justified,

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Introduction

and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This popular small school serves a rural area. It has a Healthy Schools award and it is working towards the silver Eco award. The present headteacher took up post in September 2006 following the retirement of the previous headteacher due to ill health.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Selattyn CE Primary School, 22 May 2008

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. The headteacher's determination and drive to improve it are beginning to bear fruit. However, some initiatives are still at an early stage and have not yet had time to impact fully on pupils' progress throughout the school. The headteacher has worked tirelessly to bring staff along with her through a series of changes in the way the school operates. For example, she is encouraging them, step-by-step, to take responsibility for assessing and tracking their own pupils' progress and realising the part each has to play in ensuring pupils achieve well by Year 6. Not all staff fully understand this yet. Governors and senior managers support the headteacher well. Training in the past year has given governors a good understanding of how to check the school's work. They have started to do this systematically. Pupils really enjoy school, and they care for and respect each other, adults and the environment.

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Grade: 3

They describe the staff as 'fair' and 'really nice', commenting on the friendly environment in the school and saying that 'people comfort you and there is always somebody to go to if you are feeling lonely'. They include pupils in this, proudly talking about the school council's success in acquiring the 'buddy bench', the use of which signals that someone needs help. Pupils spontaneously offer views on the benefits of eating healthily and of taking regular exercise. They have an exceptionally good understanding of the importance of healthy living. The vast majority of pupils take part in the many sporting activities available to them. They enjoy a good degree of success in competitions with other schools, despite the school being small. Pupils successfully learn about other cultures and know it is important to respect each other's differences. They have a good understanding of right and wrong and of how to keep themselves

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Grade: 3

and others safe. They report that the school deals swiftly and effectively with the now rare instances of bullying. They take their responsibilities seriously and make a good contribution to the school, church and the wider community. They do not readily take the initiative themselves for their learning or personal development, but they rise to the challenge when staff present opportunities to them. Overall, the school cares deeply for each one of its pupils, promotes their personal development and well-being effectively, and ensures that they leave the school adequately prepared for their future. Currently, achievement is satisfactory overall, and standards are average in Year 6. Some specialist teaching, particularly for higher ability pupils, has raised pupils' enjoyment of mathematics. It has also given them the confidence to solve mathematical problems, thereby successfully addressing weaknesses evident after the tests in 2007. The enthusiasm with which

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Grade: 3

pupils in Years 4 to 6 joined in a challenging mental mathematics activity bears testimony to their enjoyment of mathematics and their good knowledge of their times tables. Standards are above average in Year 2. Pupils make good progress in that year group, which they then consolidate in Year 3. Teaching meets pupils' different learning needs well in these two year groups. Progress is improving in Years 4 to 6 because teachers are beginning to use assessment information in their planning. Reception and Year 1 pupils make satisfactory progress overall. However, their progress is limited because planning does not always distinguish well enough between their different learning needs, and this results in their progress being uneven. Last year, the school set up new procedures to track pupils' progress. These procedures are providing good information about how well pupils have done from last year to this. However,

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Grade: 3

they do not yet extend to tracking progress within a year group to enable teachers to tackle weaknesses as soon as they become apparent. In practice, teachers know each pupil well, and 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Selattyn CE Primary School, 22 May 2008 they set targets for different groups based on the key outcomes in literacy and numeracy. Pupils confuse targets and learning objectives, and even by Year 6, are not entirely sure what they need to do to improve their work or reach their targets. When teachers mark pupils' written work in literacy or in other subjects, they usually point out strengths and areas for improvement. However, the comments do not relate to pupils' targets or to learning objectives, and rarely give pupils guidance on how to improve their learning except in literacy. This limits the usefulness of assessment as a tool for ensuring the pupils' best possible progress at all times.

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Grade: 3

A good range of visits, visitors, clubs and extra-curricular activities greatly enrich the curriculum, which is in itself sound. Topic work brings different subjects together, giving a purpose to pupils' writing and joining up their learning. Good examples of this are the artwork related to learning about different cultures, and the written work that takes place in history. However, the curriculum does not support progression in skills sufficiently in subjects other than English and mathematics. Subject leaders, whose roles were allocated only last September, are beginning to look at this under the direction of senior managers and consultants. A good start has been made with science and physical education. Senior managers and governors have an accurate understanding of what the school does well and what it needs to do to improve. They have taken a measured approach to change by ensuring that all staff are sufficiently involved in school self- evaluation to bring them to the same level

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Grade: 3

of understanding. Some have risen to this challenge better than others. At present, the school has satisfactory capacity for further improvement.

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Grade: 3

Children settle quickly into school routines, assisted by the school's good understanding of the need to build their interpersonal skills. They follow instructions well, listen and take turns as they participate in the different activities planned for them. The curriculum covers all areas of learning and includes a number of exciting activities for the children. However, the planning that arises from this does not always match the children's different stages of learning. The planned activities leave children few opportunities to initiate their own learning. Staff make notes describing what children can do but do not always use the information well enough when planning further work. In lessons, Reception children sometimes have to sit and wait quietly, unable to join in formal, whole-class sessions with Year 1 pupils because the work is too difficult for them. The small numbers in each group mean that attainment on entry

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Grade: 3

fluctuates from year to year. However, the school only started to ascertain attainment on entry in a formal way in September last year. For the current year group, it was below, and for a small number of children, well below typical expectations. Children's progress is satisfactory overall but their work shows it has gone up and down during the year. Standards are below average overall, with only about half of the children at the typically expected levels in all six areas of learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that the work in Reception and Year 1 is suitably matched to the children's different ages and stages of learning. ■ Improve the tracking of pupils' progress during the year, ensuring effective use of assessment information in planning and the process of setting targets, and better guidance for pupils on how to assess and improve their own learning. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Selattyn CE Primary School, 22 May 2008 ■ As teachers develop their leadership roles, make sure that the curriculum promotes continuous progression in all subjects, including when they are taught through topic work. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged to be satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Selattyn CE Primary School, 22 May 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Selattyn CE Primary School, 22 May 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? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 3 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 1 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?

3 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Selattyn CE Primary School, 22 May 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Selattyn CE Primary School, 22 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

23 May 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Selattyn CE Primary School, Selattyn SY10 7DH Thank you for the warm welcome you gave me when I visited your school. I found that yours is a satisfactory school. That means it does all the right things for you but it could do some of them even better. The people who lead and manage the school have started to put into place a number of things to help your teachers to help you make the best possible progress at all times. However, many of these things are new and have not yet had time to take full effect. You develop really good personal skills while you are at this school. You told me how much you enjoy school and 'there is always someone to go to if you're feeling lonely' or concerned about anything. You clearly appreciate how well the staff care for you and the 'friendly environment' within the school. You behave well and I noted how much you care for and respect

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

each other and adults. I also noted how proud you are of your achievements, particularly in sport, when you told me that this is 'a very sporty' school. You have an excellent understanding of why it is important to keep yourselves fit and healthy, and of how to do this. You leave this school adequately prepared for the next stage of your lives. To accelerate your progress, I have asked the school to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure Reception and Year 1 pupils always have the right sort of work to do, and at the right levels for them ■ track your progress better during the year, use all the information it has about how well you are doing to help you improve, and help you understand how to improve your own learning ■ make sure that teachers with responsibility for different subjects provide enough guidance for all other teachers so that you can all make continuous progress in every subject. You can help by continuing to work hard and by checking with your teachers what you should be doing next to make faster progress. I hope that by doing all of this you will continue to enjoy learning throughout your lives. Yours sincerely Doris Bell Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Selattyn CE Primary School, 22 May 2008

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