Randwick Church of England Primary School

Randwick Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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115645 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire Local Authority 326239 Inspection number 5 May 2009 Inspection date Shirley Billington 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 controlled School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 84 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 Brian Stanley Chair Fiona Montacute Headteacher 18 October 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection The Lane School address Randwick Stroud GL6 6HL 01453 762773 Telephone number

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4–11 Age group 5 May 2009 Inspection date 326239 Inspection number 01453 759611 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 5 May 2009 Inspection date 326239 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: Randwick Church of England Primary School, 5 May 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. The inspectors evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues.

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Introduction

■ Provision for writing in the Reception Year and Years 1 and 2.

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Introduction

■ The use made of information and communication technology (ICT) in subjects across the curriculum and plans for further developments in this area. ■ The impact of developments to further the curriculum for children in the Reception Year.

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Introduction

■ Concerns expressed by parents in relation to communication with the school.

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Introduction

Evidence was gathered from observations in lessons and around the school, scrutiny of records on pupils' progress and a range of documentation. Parents' responses to questionnaires and discussions with pupils, parents, staff and a governor also contributed to the judgements. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail.

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Description of the school

This is a small primary school in which almost all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. The school has four classes, each catering for two year groups. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in the same class as Year 1 pupils.

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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: Randwick Church of England Primary School, 5 May 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Pupils do well academically and their personal development is outstanding. They thoroughly enjoy the range of activities in which they get involved, such as clubs, visits, fund raising and the formulation of the school travel plan. They have an excellent awareness of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and of safe practices. Pupils make a first-rate contribution to the school and local community, showing a keen awareness of the part they need to play in the wider world: as one commented, 'It is our responsibility as an eco-school to look after the environment.' Behaviour is exemplary and pupils show good application to tasks in lessons. However, their excellent work habits and commitment to learning are not always utilised as much as they might be in lessons. Opportunities are missed to encourage pupils to share ideas and to collaborate and support each other in their learning.

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Grade: 2

Children start school with a good base of skills and achieve well. They make good progress in the Reception Year and this is successfully built on in Years 1 and 2. As a result, by the end of Year 2, standards are above average overall. However, over the past three years, attainment has been well above average in reading and mathematics performance in writing has been broadly average. This area has been a focus for improvement through increasing opportunities to write for a variety of purposes and the introduction of a focused programme for teaching key skills, such as knowledge of sounds and letters. These initiatives are now beginning to have an impact. More Year 2 pupils are on track to attain higher levels in writing this year in comparison with previous years. In Years 3 to 6, all groups of pupils make good progress. Standards in English, mathematics and science are exceptionally high at the end of Year 6.

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Grade: 2

Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities do particularly well in national tests and assessments at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils benefit from good teaching and a curriculum that is being adapted well to meet their needs. Good account is taken of the need to plan for mixed-age classes. The school has a strong focus on promoting creativity in the curriculum and making links across subjects so that learning becomes meaningful to pupils. Recent work on the Second World War led to evocative writing on the feelings of a child during an air raid. Links with Russia and Australia have led to artwork in the style of Kandinsky and pupils experimenting with painting in an Aboriginal style. These sorts of activities and study of different religions contribute well to pupils' global awareness. In conjunction with a local museum, the school has also initiated a specific project to improve pupils' understanding of the diversity of cultures represented in Britain today. Pupils develop

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Grade: 2

good skills in ICT, but do not make enough use of these to support their learning in other subjects. The school has recently had a significant upgrade in provision for ICT and is now in a position to extend its use across the curriculum. The headteacher sets a clear direction and is well supported by staff and governors. There is a good sense of teamwork, with all seeking improvements wherever possible. This has resulted in recent enhancement of the outdoor environment. The school has been successful in gaining an impressive number of awards, such as Gold Artsmark, healthy school status and Activemark, as a recognition of opportunities provided for sports-related activities. Regular audits of the quality of provision lead to the identification of priorities for further improvement. However, action plans related to these areas tend to focus on tasks to be done rather than the intended improvements in pupils' achievement. This makes it difficult to evaluate their success.

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Grade: 2

5 of 10 Inspection Report: Randwick Church of England Primary School, 5 May 2009 Care, guidance and support for pupils are outstanding. Those given extra help benefit from additional support, for example, when they work with teaching assistants in small groups. Parents are generally positive about this aspect of the school's work and appreciate the availability of teachers to talk about their children: one commented, 'Staff have shown exceptional commitment and dedication and have always gone the extra mile.' A significant proportion of parents feel that there are issues about communication and that their views are not taken into account. The inspection explored this and found that good information is provided about school events and activities. Parents are invited to a variety of events, including regular consultation evenings, curriculum meetings and to an informal coffee morning each term. Their

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Grade: 2

views are canvassed on an annual basis. Specific concerns receive an individual response. However, this is an issue that the school plans to pursue further to identify where there may be scope for improvement. Pupils are well known to staff and their progress is carefully tracked. They have an excellent understanding of their individual targets for improvement and what they have to do to achieve these. Marking of work gives clear indications of how well pupils are doing and of the next steps in their learning.

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Grade: 2

Children get off to a good start and make good progress in the Reception Year. A high degree of attention is given to their care and welfare and as a result they do particularly well in their personal and social development. Children thoroughly enjoy the range of practical activities in which they get involved. They work and play well together and are very confident in organising activities independently. They have a good base of skills in literacy and numeracy, but work is under way to strengthen these further through a more structured programme for teaching early phonics and extending opportunities for problem solving. This is beginning to have an impact, with, for example, children showing good knowledge of sounds when they attempt spellings in their written work. Children are secure and settled in a mixed-age class where the curriculum is adjusted to take account of their specific learning needs. An outdoor area has recently been

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Grade: 2

created and equipped to enhance opportunities for independent learning and practical activities. This is particularly successful in supporting the development of children's physical and creative skills. Leaders recognise the need for further extension of provision to support learning across all areas and this is a key priority for this year. Children's progress is carefully tracked and detailed notes are kept of their achievements in each area of learning. This provides good information for parents about their children's development.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Extend opportunities for pupils to share ideas, work collaboratively and learn from each other. ■ Extend the use made of ICT to support learning in subjects across the curriculum.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that plans for improvement are sharply focused on precisely how initiatives are intended to have an impact on standards and achievement. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Randwick Church of England Primary School, 5 May 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. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Randwick Church of England Primary School, 5 May 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? 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? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 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: Randwick Church of England Primary School, 5 May 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 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 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? 1 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 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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Randwick Church of England Primary School, 5 May 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

7 May 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Randwick Church of England Primary School, Stroud, GL6 6HL You may remember that we visited recently to see how you are getting on at school. Thanks to all of you who talked to us about the work that you were doing in classes and the sorts of activities in which you get involved. I thought you would be interested in what we are saying in our report. Randwick is a good school. One of the best things about it is you yourselves. Your behaviour is excellent and you are keen to learn. You have an impressive understanding of what you need to do to stay healthy and safe. The school council puts forward good suggestions to improve things like the use of the playground. You make good progress in your learning so that by the end of Year 6 you achieve very high standards in English, mathematics and science. You are taught well and staff work hard to make learning interesting through the topics that you study. You get excellent advice

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

on how to improve your learning through the targets that you are given and the comments made when your work is marked. Staff and governors are keen to improve the school wherever possible and have been successful in gaining awards such as the eco-school green flag and improving the facilities for you to use in outside learning area. They involve you in these projects wherever possible. They have also been trying to improve the writing skills of the younger pupils and we could see that this is beginning to make a difference in Years 1 and 2. We have suggested three things that the school needs to do now.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Give you more opportunities to work together and to share all your good ideas so that you can help each other with your learning. ■ Extend the opportunities you have to use your skills in ICT to support your learning in all subjects. ■ Make sure that the plans to make the school even better have very clear targets so that those who lead the school can check how successful the plans have been. Thank you again for your help. Best wishes for the future. Yours faithfully Shirley Billington Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Randwick Church of England Primary School, 5 May 2009

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