Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Inspection report

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115154 Unique Reference Number Essex Local Authority 326137 Inspection number 12 February 2009 Inspection date Anna Coyle 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 217 School (total) 0 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 Mrs Kathy Baker Chair Mrs Ann Robinson Headteacher 13 March 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Brentwood Road School address Ingrave Brentwood Essex CM13 3NU 01277 810218 Telephone number

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4–11 Age group 12 February 2009 Inspection date 326137 Inspection number 01277 810173 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 12 February 2009 Inspection date 326137 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 11 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 12 February 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. Inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues:

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Introduction

■ the standards attained by the more able pupils in English in Year 6, and the progress of the higher attaining girls in mathematics ■ the effectiveness of the teaching in writing in Years 3 to 6

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Introduction

■ the development of the roles of the new deputy headteacher and the subject leaders.

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Introduction

Evidence was gathered from discussions with pupils, staff and governors, lesson observations and a scrutiny of pupils' work. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail.

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Description of the school

This slightly smaller than average sized school serves the local village community and surrounding area. Most children are White British and none learn English as an additional language. Children's attainment on entry to the Reception class is mainly typical for their age when they first start school. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is lower than that in other schools and only a small number have a statement of special educational needs. The school achieved the Healthy Schools award as well as the Sports Activemark and the Brentwood school's sports award in 2008.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 12 February 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has some outstanding features, has moved forward well since its last inspection and largely fulfils its motto to 'realise the potential of every child'. It provides pupils with a good education and enables them to achieve well. Standards are above average in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2. They are above average overall at the end of Year 6. Standards have been exceptionally high in mathematics over the last two years. Children achieve well in the Reception class, and most pupils make good progress in Years 1 to 6. However, the standards attained by the more able pupils in English in Year 6 have varied unduly in recent years and have not been high enough among this group. The school has rightly identified this as an area upon which to focus and has taken successful corrective action. As a result of good teaching, the latest national tests for 2008 show that the school exceeded its targets at Level 4 and significantly improved the

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Grade: 2

proportion of pupils attaining the higher Level 5. Staff are also currently focusing on increasing the progress of the higher attaining girls in mathematics to help them do as well as the boys. Strategies are beginning to have a good effect and girls are now starting to achieve higher standards in the subject across the school. The teaching of writing in Years 1 to 6 is good. Teaching is sometimes outstanding in both key stages. Staff plan their lessons carefully to make sure that pupils benefit from lively, interesting activities that grip their imagination, such as in an outstanding Year 6 lesson on the biography of a pop star, and Year 1's excellent look at Victorian ways of life. A significant number of parents expressed concern to the inspectors about the high staff turnover during the last three years that they feel has affected the quality of the teaching. It is clear that a significant number

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Grade: 2

of staffing changes have led to a necessary and well considered re-organisation of teachers and classes. The school has evolved from these difficulties and is now well staffed. Staff are well qualified and the quality of teaching is good. Assessment is a real strength of the school because the systems and procedures are excellent. The headteacher has worked exceedingly hard to develop the current systems, and staff make very good use of them to check children's progress and make sure that they achieve as well as they can from year to year. The marking of children's work is good in Years 1 to 6. Teachers use praise well to celebrate children's successes and they give clear targets to help them improve. They involve children effectively in assessing their own work to help them develop their skills as independent learners. Teaching assistants support pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities satisfactorily. However,

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Grade: 2

several parents rightly expressed concern about the provision for pupils with learning difficulties, and the inspectors agree that work is not matched well enough to their needs. The provision is not monitored effectively and class teachers are not sufficiently involved in devising precise targets to help them make progress. Personal development and well-being are outstanding in Key Stages 1 and 2. Pupils greatly enjoy learning and know exceptionally well how to stay fit and healthy. They contribute effectively to the school community through the school council and have raised funds for playground equipment and charities such as a national children's hospital and buggies for the disabled. Most behave very sensibly, and levels of attendance are excellent. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also excellent. Children show an acute awareness of right and wrong, and they respect highly the views of others. They have excellent attitudes to learning

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Grade: 2

and help each other willingly. They say any bullying is dealt with quickly by the staff, and pupils know to whom they should go if they are worried about anything. Their well-honed skills in 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 12 February 2009 reading, numeracy, and information and communication technology help to prepare them well for the next stage of their education. The good curriculum is enhanced by strong links between subjects and themed activity days on topics such as mural painting. An outstanding range of extra-curricular clubs and activities further enrich provision, including many sporting and musical opportunities and visits. The school meets the statutory requirements for safeguarding and protecting pupils. They are well cared for, and staff maintain good partnerships with parents and external agencies. The school plays a pivotal role in the life of the village and contributes

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Grade: 2

effectively to community cohesion. Parental comments include praise such as, 'The school has a very caring ethos,' and 'a friendly family atmosphere' with 'very approachable staff'. Effective leadership and management have ensured that the issue noted at the time of the last inspection, regarding challenge for the more able, has been dealt with successfully. The headteacher is highly committed to the school and provides clear direction for the future. She is well supported by staff and ensures that excellent use is made of challenging targets to help raise standards. The deputy headteacher, who is new to her role, is effectively developing her responsibilities as a class teacher and a school manager, as well as the subject leader for English. She has correctly identified that standards have not been high enough in writing amongst some groups of pupils and has made effective changes to raise attainment. The roles of the subject

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Grade: 2

leaders are well established. Their responsibilities have been appropriately reviewed and re-assigned where necessary due to recent staffing changes, and leaders now monitor their subjects carefully. The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is not fully effective, however, because the management of the phase is not sufficiently distinct from Key Stage 1, and the welfare requirements are not fully met for ensuring that the behaviour of boys is effectively managed in the Reception class. The school's view of itself is reasonable, although the inspectors found that the school's evaluations were overgenerous. Governors share good commitment to the school and keep a check on how well it is doing. They are regular visitors but do not always act rigorously enough as critical friends to hold the school to account for the decisions it makes on issues such as pupil admissions. The school makes good use of its

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Grade: 2

accommodation and resources. It has good capacity for further improvement.

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Grade: 2

Children make good progress overall in the Reception class and achieve well. Parents have high aspirations for their children and are very supportive of their learning at home. Close links between parents and the school help children to settle happily and do well. Children reach the expected goals for their age before they move into Year 1 in all areas of learning, and many exceed them. Learning and development are effectively based on practical tasks to promote children's communication, language, literacy and numeracy skills. Teaching also focuses well on developing creative and physical development and children's knowledge and understanding of the world through a good balance of organised and free-play activities, both indoors and out. The provision is led and managed satisfactorily. Children's personal, social and emotional development is satisfactory overall and staff watch over the children's welfare. However, adults

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Grade: 2

do not always manage children's behaviour suitably and some over-boisterous boys are not sufficiently guided to help them modify their behaviour. Assessment is used exceedingly well to rigorously check on children's academic progress. The information gathered is used effectively to help staff plan a wide range of learning activities. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 12 February 2009

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Make sure that pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities have work that is closely matched to their needs, and that the provision for them is monitored effectively. ■ Improve the leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and ensure that the behaviour of boys is managed effectively in the Reception class. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 12 February 2009 .

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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. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 12 February 2009

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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? 3 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 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 3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 12 February 2009

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 1 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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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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 12 February 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 February 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Brentwood, CM13 3NU You may remember that the inspectors visited your school recently to see how well you were doing. Thank you for being so helpful and making us feel welcome. We enjoyed talking to those of you in the school council and you helped us to find out a lot about your school. This letter is to let you know what we found out. We think that you go to a good school and achieve well. Standards are above average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Many of you said that you love coming to school and really enjoy learning. You know plenty of things about how to keep healthy and safe. The teaching is good and adults take good care of you and give you lots of interesting things to do in lessons and in the excellent lunchtime and after-school clubs. We know that Mrs Robinson and the teachers and governors want the school to be even better

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and so we have asked them to do two things.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that those of you who find learning hard have work that is closely matched to your needs, and ensure that the provision is checked carefully. ■ Improve the leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage and make sure that those of you in the Reception class behave well all of the time. You can help by continuing to enjoy school and work hard. Best wishes Dr Anna Coyle Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 12 February 2009

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