St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School

St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School Inspection report

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126025 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 315400 Inspection number 18 November 2008 Inspection date Gavin Jones 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 aided School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 115 School (total) 14 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 Francis Gair Chair Gail Sainsbury Headteacher 4 July 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Potters Green School address Station Road Cowfold Horsham RH13 8QZ

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4–11 Age group 18 November 2008 Inspection date 315400 Inspection number 01403 864365 Telephone number 01403 865475 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 18 November 2008 Inspection date 315400 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 10 Inspection Report: St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School, 18 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors, who evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school. They particularly investigated: the teaching of mathematics the degree of challenge for the most able progress made by pupils and leadership at all levels. Evidence was gathered by observing lessons, scrutinising documents and pupils' work, and from discussions with staff, the chair of governors and pupils. Other aspects of the school's work were not evaluated 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

This is a smaller than average primary school in a semi-rural setting. There are no pupils in receipt of free school meals and no pupils for whom English is an additional language or from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are taught with some pupils from Year 1.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 10 Inspection Report: St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School, 18 November 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Parents are very happy with the standard of education provided by the school. Their positive feelings come from the knowledge that the school gives good support to their children, which results in pupils' personal development being good. Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and their behaviour in class and around the school is excellent. In turn, this helps them make progress in their learning, as such little time is wasted. Pupils concentrate on their tasks and grow in confidence. One pupil said school 'pushes me a little bit out of my comfort zone, but not too much!' Strong relationships abound in the school, which bind the community together very closely. Children enter the school with abilities and skills below those expected for their age. This is particularly the case in their communication, language and literacy development. However, because of the good provision in the EYFS, they make good progress and by the time they

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Grade: 2

move into Year 1, they are attaining standards broadly in line with national averages, although their language development is still just below the national average. Good progress is made in school by all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, so that by the time pupils leave, they are regularly reaching standards above national expectations and sometimes well above. Their progress in mathematics is not as good as in English or science and the school has made this a focus of its work for some time. At the same time, the most able pupils are not always being catered for, so that they do not always achieve as well as they might. However, due to the small numbers in the cohorts of pupils, it is not always possible to make accurate comparisons with national data. Part of the reason for the good progress pupils' make is the good quality teaching. Teaching is always at least satisfactory, with many instances of good teaching and some elements that

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Grade: 2

are outstanding. Teachers have very good relationships with their pupils, they have high expectations of how they should work and behave and their planning is very thorough. In spite of this, planning for the most able pupils is not sufficiently detailed. Class teachers now have access to a good range of data, by which they can track progress and set appropriate 'next steps' targets for all of their charges. This is not yet being done consistently through the school. All teachers make very good use of the imaginative and exciting curriculum. Pupils in Year 6 were singing a rap in order to consolidate their understanding of fractions, while pupils in Years 4 and 5 were seen opening mystery boxes in a literacy lesson in which they were going to explore the work of Michael Morpurgo. In a Years 3 and 4 lesson pupils were taking on the role of underwater investigators as they examined photographs of artefacts from the Titanic. Because

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Grade: 2

of the interest and excitement generated by lessons, attendance at school is regularly above the national average, with one parent noting, 'Work always seems exciting and challenging.' Work in science, design and technology and personal, social and health education gives pupils a good understanding of how to live a healthy lifestyle. The Christian ethos of the school enhances pupils' spiritual development, which is excellent. The school also provides much enrichment to the curriculum through a wide range of visits and club activities. Another parent wrote about 'the excellent extra-curricular after school clubs'. The school provides good opportunities for its pupils to be involved in a wide range of community activities. The school itself is the venue for many village activities, whilst pupils also take part in village events. They contribute to national and international charities and have a very good

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Grade: 2

5 of 10 Inspection Report: St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School, 18 November 2008 display of 'keyhole African gardens' in response to their concerns about the wider world and its ecology. The school is led and managed well by the headteacher who has a clear vision of what the school needs to do to improve further, and through her work thus far has made improvements to the school. Evaluation is satisfactory, although the school judges itself more harshly than the inspection found to be necessary. This aside, leadership is well supported by good leaders of the EYFS, literacy and numeracy, for example. Leaders have clear ideas of the quality of provision in their own areas of expertise and know how to make improvements. The school has good capacity to improve further. It works closely with a range of providers and school support groups. For example, a physical education lesson in Reception was taken by a visiting secondary

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Grade: 2

school specialist teacher. Governors give good support to the school, but recognise that they do not yet fulfil their role completely in checking the school's progress towards the priorities set in its improvement plan.

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Grade: 2

Well-considered induction procedures help children to get off to a good start in the Reception class. Good, dynamic teaching enables children to make good progress in all areas of learning. It includes a stimulating variety of both adult and child-led activities, usually linked to a particular theme, such as sorting, for example. The very good relationships established between adults and children ensure children are very well cared for. Good levels of encouragement and praise quickly enhance their personal development and self-esteem. The lively and colourful environment, both inside and out, is very motivating for children, and displays, rich in language, make the classroom an exciting place to be. Very comprehensive planning and tracking of progress provide a clear structure for teaching and learning, with children playing their part in their own learning by showing very positive attitudes and excellent behaviour. Leadership of

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Grade: 2

the EYFS shows a clear grasp of its strengths and an understanding of how it might improve. To this end, the further development of the outdoor provision has been highlighted, together with a need to promote children's language and literacy skills further.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Fine-tune good teaching by using assessment data more consistently in order to set more individually challenging work, especially for the most able and in mathematics. ■ At all levels of leadership, including governance, make better use of information gathered about the school, not only to identify priorities accurately but to evaluate the impact of the school's success in making improvements. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: St Peter's CofE (Aided) 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: St Peter's CofE (Aided) 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: St Peter's CofE (Aided) 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 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 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 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School, 18 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 November 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Peter's C of E (Aided) Primary School RH13 8QZ Thank you for helping us when we visited your school the other day. Although we were only able to spend the day with you, you helped by sharing your views of the school and some of your work with us. We know that you thoroughly enjoy school and your attendance is good. This is partly because the school makes learning interesting and teaching is good. As a result, your behaviour is excellent and the way you get on with your work helps you make progress. All adults look after you well and you feel safe in school. Standards of work across the school are good and sometimes they are very good. You make good progress with your work, although we think that you could still do better in your mathematics. We have asked teachers to make a special effort to help you improve in this subject. We have asked them to use the information they have about the progress you make

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to set you even more challenging targets, especially for those of you who are best at maths. You take part in village activities and many events are held at your school. You also try to help people who are less fortunate than yourselves both in this country and in far off places. Your school is well led by your headteacher, who is well supported by other teachers. We have asked your headteacher to help teachers to make your work in mathematics as good as your work in English and science. We also want all leaders, including governors, to use the information they gather to check on how well the school is progressing. You can all help by continuing your good attendance and continuing to work hard at lessons especially with your mathematics. Thank you for being such polite and well-behaved pupils and for giving us such an interesting day. With best wishes Gavin Jones Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: St Peter's CofE (Aided) Primary School, 18 November 2008

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