All Saints CofE (VC) Primary School

All Saints CofE (C) Infants School Inspection report

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124302 Unique Reference Number Staffordshire Local Authority 314882 Inspection number 1 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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Infant Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 3 °7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 27 School The governing body Appropriate authority Frank Dudek Chair Gillian Reynolds Headteacher 4 July 2008 Date of previous school inspection Bourne Avenue School address Ranton Stafford ST18 9JU 01785 282228 Telephone number 01785 282228 Fax number

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3-7 Age group 1 May 2008 Inspection date 314882 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: • children’s progress this year, especially in writing, and how well pupils use their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects • the school’s use of all assessment information to guide children’s learning, and how effectively teachers help children to understand how to improve their work • how closely leaders and managers are monitoring the quality of teaching and learning. Evidence was gathered from observations, from looking at children’s work, from discussions with staff, governors and children, from parents’ questionnaires, and from documentation provided by the school. Other aspects of the school’s work were not investigated in detail.

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Description of the school

This is a very small school where the headteacher teaches for just over half of the week. In most years, attainment on entry is as expected for the children's ages. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is usually similar to that found in most schools, but at present it is above average. No children are in receipt of free school meals and virtually all are from White British backgrounds. The children are taught in two mixed-age classes. The school has achieved the Activemark award.

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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: All Saints CofE (C) Infants School, 1 May 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Improvements in the systems for assessing and tracking each child's progress have resulted in teachers setting increasingly challenging targets for the children. This led to the improved progress and standards seen in 2007, and is sustaining children's progress this year. It all starts with the good provision in the Foundation Stage, which ensures children make good progress in Nursery and Reception. Achievement is good and standards are above average in Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. Children are on course to reach the significantly above average standards last year's, Year 2 children reached in the end-of-year assessments. The introduction of a daily phonics session has accelerated progress in reading throughout the school, and the focus on practical work ensures children achieve well in mathematics. Progress in writing, though good overall, is not consistent in all of their work. Although children know and understand their

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Grade: 2

writing targets, they do not readily see how they might reach them through work in different subjects. This is because teachers' marking does not always show them how to do so, and they have too few opportunities to write freely or at length in other subjects. In literacy, children mark their own work well, identifying, for example, where they should have used finger spaces between words, or inserted capital letters and full stops in their sentences. This is improving the quality of their writing in literacy lessons, but they do not always apply these skills to writing in other subjects. Alongside the good information gained from the improved assessment procedures, teachers use national guidance effectively to plan literacy and numeracy work at the right level for the children. Supported by well briefed teaching assistants, they involve children well in lessons, providing good opportunities for them to learn from each other. As a result, children with

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Grade: 2

learning difficulties and/or disabilities often reach nationally expected standards by the end of Year 2. The curriculum links together different units from the national guidance effectively to ensure that all aspects of all subjects are covered on a two-year cycle. It also provides well for children's personal, social and health education. A good range of visits, visitors and additional activities in and beyond the normal school day further enhances the curriculum and contributes to children's learning and personal development. Teachers identify clearly where computers can be used to enhance learning, and children use computers well in different subjects. Children behave well. They very much enjoy school and their attendance is good. They report that teachers are one of the best things about the school and that they like learning. They say that they find lessons interesting because teachers 'explain what we are doing.' They explain

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Grade: 2

how they mark their work using 'green for growth' as they begin to understand something, then 'tickled pink' when they have got it fully. They particularly like the 'Friday challenge' where the teacher makes deliberate mistakes in pieces of work for them to find. Year 2 children explain clearly what 'success criteria' are and how to use them to improve their learning. They know their views are valued and, through the school council, they take a hand in making the school better, for example, by creating different zones in the playground for different sorts of games. Staff care deeply for the children and all safeguarding procedures are carried out well. As a result, children feel safe in school. They trust the staff and are confident they will always receive help to overcome any concerns they may have. Parents are highly satisfied with the school, saying it gives their children a 'secure, caring and stimulating start,' where they 'become

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Grade: 2

4 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE (C) Infants School, 1 May 2008 confident as part of a family.' Children understand and appreciate the school rules, which they have helped to draw up, and to enforce. They describe water as 'brain juice' that 'helps us to think better,' and have a good understanding of the importance of eating healthily and taking regular exercise, including swimming. Children make a good contribution to the school and wider community. However, their understanding of the different cultures in Britain today is relatively underdeveloped compared to other aspects of their personal development. The two-year cycle on which events take place to promote this means that children forget what they have been taught. Overall, however, they leave school well prepared for the next stage of their lives. Keenly aware of the fluctuations in each year group because of the small numbers, the headteacher has successfully ensured that the improvements seen last year have continued.

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Grade: 2

She teaches in both classes, thereby gaining a good overview of how well all children are doing. She has done some formal monitoring of teaching and learning but this is infrequent and does not always give teachers clear development points. The school's own evaluation of its work is accurate. Leaders and managers clearly understand what needs to happen to secure further improvement, although the school improvement plan does not show this beyond the current year. Nevertheless, staff in this small school are aware of the need to adapt their approaches to take account of the different needs of different year groups. They have taken on board fully the new assessment procedures and are using them well to accelerate children's progress. They are open to advice and guidance, and work well together. All of this gives the school good capacity for further improvement. Governors fulfil their roles satisfactorily but are not as

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Grade: 2

involved in school improvement planning or in school self-evaluation as they might be.

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Grade: 2

The busy, purposeful atmosphere felt in the Foundation Stage arises from the well planned, exciting activities that cover all areas of learning. These include a good balance between adult-led and child-selected activities, all of which place a strong emphasis on developing literacy, numeracy and personal skills. The recent focus on developing early writing skills through speaking, listening and phonics work has resulted in much writing that is already exceeding expectations for the end of Reception. This is evident in the writing on display and in the postcards the children were writing as part of their role play work on camping. Children are prepared well for starting school, and parents are kept fully informed as part of this process. As a result, children settle quickly into school routines. They listen carefully, take turns and cooperate well with each other. They controlled their excitement really well as they

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Grade: 2

learned how to program a floor robot and then worked in pairs with the teacher, or independently on the computer, to learn the principles of control technology. Overall, children make good progress in the Foundation Stage, with most exceeding the standards expected for the end of the Reception Year. However, insufficient use is made of the outdoor area to promote all areas of learning. The school acknowledges this and plans are under way to address it soon.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ ■ Provide more opportunities for children to write freely and at length in different subjects.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve teachers' marking in all subjects, including writing, wherever it occurs, to show children how they can work towards their targets at all times. ■ Sharpen the procedures for checking the quality of teaching and learning. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE (C) Infants School, 1 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. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE (C) Infants School, 1 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? 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? 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?

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: All Saints CofE (C) Infants School, 1 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 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: All Saints CofE (C) Infants School, 1 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

2 May 2008 Dear Children Inspection of All Saints CE (Controlled) Infant School, Ranton, Staffordshire ST18 9JU Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave me when I visited your school this week. It was a real delight to talk to you and find out how much you enjoy school. You told me you like learning. That clearly helps with the good progress you are making and the good standards you reach in your work. This happens, too, because you behave well and your teachers plan your work well. They make your learning interesting, explain to you what you are expected to do, and you understand how to check and improve your own work. You told me how much you value all of this. You and your parents told us that All Saints is a good school and all of you are right. Your headteacher manages the school well. She and all the other staff make sure you are safe and well cared for. As a result, you know how to keep yourselves safe in and out of school. You

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

said water is 'brain juice' and that you eat salad, fruit and vegetables every day. This and the enthusiasm you show for physical exercise, including swimming, shows you know the importance of keeping yourselves safe, fit and healthy. You try hard to make your school a better place by making suggestions and helping to carry them out. I am thinking here particularly of how you have selected different parts of the playground for different games so that everyone can do what they want at playtime and lunchtime. It is clear that you leave the school well prepared for your future. Within all of this, I noticed that you do not always make the best possible progress at all times, particularly in writing. I have therefore asked the school to:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ provide more opportunities for you to write in different subjects

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ improve the way teachers mark your work in different subjects, including your writing, wherever it occurs, so you can see how you can work towards your targets at all times

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ become even better at checking how well you are taught and are learning.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You can help by remembering you can work towards your writing targets when you are writing in different subjects, and by continuing to work hard in lessons. I hope that by doing this, you will continue to enjoy learning for the rest of your lives. Yours sincerely Doris Bell Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE (C) Infants School, 1 May 2008

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