Yapton CE Primary School

Yapton CofE Primary School Inspection report

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126001 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 315391 Inspection number 26 °27 November 2007 Inspection dates Helen Hutchings 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 254 School The governing body Appropriate authority Helen Button Chair Mary Ramacciotti Headteacher 14 October 2002 Date of previous school inspection North End Road School address Yapton Arundel BN18 0DU 01243 551246 Telephone number 01243 554579 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 26 °27 November 2007 Inspection dates 315391 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Yapton is an average-sized primary school. It takes pupils from the village and surrounding communities. Some of the families attending the school face economic and social challenges, although this is not reflected in the below-average take-up of free school meals. The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well above average. The school has recently received Dyslexia Friendly School, International School, Eco-School and Travel Plan awards and a Bishop's Commendation.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Yapton CofE Primary School, 26 °27 November 2007

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Grade: 2

Yapton is a good and improving school. Staff and governors have high aspirations for pupils and are increasingly meeting the school's aim to provide a high quality education whilst promoting Christian values. Parents are positive about the school and give it strong support. They appreciate the continued improvements since the last inspection and one parent summed the school up well: 'What more could a parent ask for?' The success with which the school promotes pupils' personal development is seen in pupils' good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning. Pupils enjoy all aspects of school life. They are eager to participate in the wide range of interesting extra-curricular activities available to them and their experiences are enriched well by visitors and visits, including a Year 6 residential trip. They make the most of the many opportunities to take on responsibility because they have a strong sense of duty. Pupils of all ages willingly carry out roles as school councillors,

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Grade: 2

eco-team members or playground friends and other pupils respect their contribution. Younger pupils readily approach older playground friends, for example, asking for help to peel fruit or sort out their games. Pupils achieve well and their progress has improved steadily in recent years. Part of this success is as a result of the good use made of local authority support and advice. Children in the Foundation Stage get off to a good start because of the interesting and varied activities they undertake. From there pupils continue to make good progress because of the good teaching and reach standards a little above average in national tests in Year 6. Standards in mathematics have improved steadily but do not yet match those in English and science. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities also do well within their capabilities. Their parents commented positively on 'the joint effort' and success in meeting the needs of their children.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and governing body have led the school with determination and have been relentless in evaluating its performance and addressing identified weaknesses. This has been a key factor in raising pupils' achievement. Teamwork is strong so that there is consistency of practice across the school, giving it a good capacity for further improvement. A particular success is the way in which the school tracks pupils' progress and is now developing these systems to identify more precisely what pupils have to do to improve further. Pupils evaluate their own work well against clear learning criteria and good, regular marking also helps pupils to understand what they have achieved. Pupils' personal targets are not updated frequently enough for them to be really clear about the most important things they have to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

Children join the school with a variety of pre-school experiences, and assessments show that, as a group, their skills are below the levels expected nationally, particularly in their social and language development. The Reception team helps children to develop their language skills well. They achieve this through speaking and listening with children in small groups and by communicating with children individually. Children settle quickly and make good progress because the activities planned for them are based effectively on an accurate assessment of their existing skills and what needs to be developed further. Children are encouraged to become independent, for example, in the early morning activities. At these times many enjoy sharing activities with their parents before tidying up for 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Yapton CofE Primary School, 26 °27 November 2007 themselves. The good balance of independent and guided activities, where children are

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Grade: 2

encouraged by adults, is very effectively giving children a love of school. Last year, when children transferred into Year 1, they met the expectations for their age.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in mathematics in Years 3 to 6 by providing more opportunities for pupils to use their numeracy skills in other subjects. ■ Use the school's systems for tracking pupils' progress to give individual pupils clear targets for their next steps in learning in English and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Standards in the 2007 national assessments for Years 2 and 6 were slightly above average. This represents good achievement, given that many pupils started in Reception below the levels expected for their age and a high proportion had learning difficulties. Standards have fluctuated from year to year in Year 6 tests, but are gradually improving, because pupils are now achieving well. Last year, pupils in Year 6 had made significantly better progress since Year 2 than their peers in other schools. The achievement of higher-attaining pupils was an issue at the last inspection, but the proportion of pupils now reaching the highest levels in the tests is above average. The data held by the school show that this improvement is likely to be sustained because the consistency of teaching in all classes is enabling pupils to achieve well throughout the school. Standards in mathematics are a little below those in English and science in Years 3

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Grade: 2

to 6 and the school's ongoing focus on this aspect is bringing about significant improvements.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. As a result of the school's strong focus on pastoral care, pupils feel secure and settled in school, and their behaviour in class and around the building is good. Pupils understand how to stay safe in modern society. In the playground the vast majority show consideration for and awareness of other people, but occasionally a small proportion of pupils are a little too boisterous in their play. Pupils enjoy school, and their attendance has shown a good improvement since the last inspection, thanks to the hard work of the school. It is now above average. Pupils show their good attitudes to learning in the high quality of the presentation of their work. Pupils have a good understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. They are very keen on physical exercise, and are enthusiastic about the many sports clubs organised by the school.

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Grade: 2

For example, pupils held a successful physical education day to raise money for charity recently. Throughout the school, pupils develop good social skills, and these, combined with their solid grounding in literacy and numeracy, mean that they are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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Grade: 2

Consistently effective teaching, particularly of literacy, is enabling pupils to learn well. Teaching is confident as teachers draw upon their good subject knowledge. At the start of most lessons, 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Yapton CofE Primary School, 26 °27 November 2007 it is made clear what is to be learnt. Good use of probing questions enables teachers to assess pupils' understanding and helps pupils further develop their thinking. Good use is made of computers to illustrate concepts and extend pupils' learning experiences. Occasionally, some lessons lack pace because of lengthy and wordy introductions and a small number of learners become disengaged. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their work and assess their own level of understanding. This process is further assisted by effective and informative marking which clearly indicates to pupils how well they are progressing and sometimes what they must do to

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Grade: 2

A well-planned literacy programme has contributed effectively to rising standards. Pupils have plenty of opportunities to use their literacy skills across the curriculum and this helps to consolidate and further extend these. Similarly, pupils develop and use their information and communication technology skills in other subjects and make good progress. A focused mathematics programme is now also contributing to rising standards, and the school has identified that pupils do not have enough opportunities to use these skills in other areas, apart from in design and technology. As a result of good links with the local secondary school, including some shared teaching, pupils are prepared well for the move to secondary education. The wide range of activities as an 'international school', for example, having visiting teachers from other countries for extended periods of time, makes a valuable contribution to pupils'

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Grade: 2

The school places a very strong emphasis on pupils' academic and personal guidance. Academic guidance for pupils is good. Pupils' progress is monitored frequently and action taken if a pupil begins to fall behind. Pupils understand their group targets for learning in lessons and self-evaluation helps them to understand how close they are to achieving these. However, pupils do not get as much as they could from their evaluation because personal targets are not refined often enough for pupils to fully understand the most important next steps for their learning. The support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well organised to take account of the range of differing needs. The effective help these pupils are given by support teachers and teaching assistants enables them to participate fully in lessons and make good progress. Pastoral care for pupils is exceptionally strong. All staff share a commitment to help all pupils

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Grade: 2

to do their best and make sure that pupils feel happy, settled and ready to learn. The school promotes good behaviour and social development sensitively and positively, and provides good support structures for those pupils who sometimes find it hard to behave well all the time. Procedures for dealing with pupils' medical needs are very thorough, and systems for safeguarding pupils are robust and well managed. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Yapton CofE Primary School, 26 °27 November 2007

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides dynamic leadership and sets a clear direction for future development, which is clearly understood and shared by all staff. Governors hold the school to account well, offering both support and challenge based on a thorough understanding of the school's work. Staff and governors monitor the school's performance closely. They have taken appropriate action since the last inspection to raise standards by improving the curriculum and the quality of teaching and learning. Self-evaluation is accurate and the recently established group of middle managers is making a good contribution to taking the school forward. This group is still inexperienced but is rapidly growing in confidence and developing leadership skills, giving the school a good capacity to raise standards further and to set even more challenging targets for its future performance. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Yapton CofE Primary School, 26 °27 November 2007

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Yapton CofE Primary School, 26 °27 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Yapton CofE Primary School, 26 °27 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Yapton CofE Primary School, 26 °27 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

28 November 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Yapton CE Primary School, Arundel, West Sussex BN18 0DU Thank you for the friendly welcome you gave the inspection team when we visited recently. I would like to thank the school council and Year 6 pupils for giving up part of their lunchtime to talk to us. I said that I would let you know what we found out.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ We agree with you that Yapton is a good school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You work hard in lessons and we are pleased that you find learning interesting.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The youngest pupils have settled well and are learning many new things.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make good progress because you are taught well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Most of you reach standards similar to other pupils of your age.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave well in lessons and in the playground, which helps you to enjoy school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You were very active at playtime, although some of the games are quite physical, which can make it a bit uncomfortable for others doing quieter things. ■ You attend a very wide range of clubs and many of these help to keep you fit.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Adults take very good care of you and you say that they help to sort out problems well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The school council does a good job to help to make the school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The headteacher and the staff think very carefully about how well the school is doing and take action quickly if they think something needs improving.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ We agree with your teachers about the most important things to do next:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ To find even more ways for the older ones to use their numeracy skills in other subjects.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ To use the information from your assessments and self-evaluations to agree personal targets more often, so that you are absolutely clear about what you have to do to make your work better. You can help by talking to your teachers about the things you find most difficult and by taking every opportunity to improve your mathematics. I wish everyone at Yapton School every success in the future. Yours sincerely Mrs Helen Hutchings Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Yapton CofE Primary School, 26 °27 November 2007

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