Callow End CofE Primary School

Callow End CofE Primary School Inspection report

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116789 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire Local Authority 326447 Inspection number 10–11 November 2008 Inspection dates Andrew Cook HMI 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 5–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 72 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 Alison Lovegrove Chair Sue Parker Headteacher 19 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 Callow End School address Upton Road Worcester WR2 4TE 01905 830337 Telephone number 01905 830337 Fax number

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5–11 Age group 10–11 November 2008 Inspection dates 326447 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. 2 of 10 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 10–11 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a small village school with four classes which serves a community of mostly privately owned houses and some that are owned by housing associations. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below the national average. The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. The school has a Reception class which forms the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision. Since the previous inspection in October 2005, the school has appointed two new teachers and a new headteacher who took up post in September 2008.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 10–11 November 2008

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Grade: 3

Callow End CofE School is an improving school. The pupils' personal development is good and the confidence and the high standards they attain by the end of Year 6 mean they are extremely well prepared for the future. The level of care the pupils receive is good and they talk very positively about their school. Without delay, the headteacher has accurately identified strengths and where she can lead the school's next stage of development. Her swift and effective action, along with the good challenge and support of the governors, demonstrates the school's good capacity to improve. Standards at the end of Year 6 have been well above average in reading, mathematics and science, as measured by the Key Stage 2 tests. The rates of progress made by pupils to get to this point vary as they go through the school and are satisfactory overall. By the end of the EYFS, children have already begun to reach above average standards. Past standards at the

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Grade: 3

end of Year 2 have been broadly average but the tracking of pupils' progress points to rising standards. Improvements to this tracking are helping to map out what is happening but are not yet being used to their full potential to inform teaching. The quality of teaching ranges from satisfactory to good. In good lessons, teachers' high expectations provide the right amount of challenge for pupils to make good progress. Teaching that is satisfactory does not demand such high standards from pupils and they are not always helped to focus on what they are doing. When the pupils' work is marked, opportunities are missed to explain to them what they need to do to improve. There also opportunities missed to give pupils time to review and evaluate their own work, taking into account the teacher's marking, or to evaluate each other's work. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The school is very successful

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Grade: 3

in helping them adopt healthy lifestyles and know how to keep safe. The very positive ethos in the school fosters confidence. A good range of exciting opportunities for pupils and a good range of extra-curricular activities enrich the good curriculum. Improving the curriculum further is just one of the good plans the headteacher has introduced.

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Grade: 2

The Reception class is a place where children's enthusiasm is high. Teaching is good, especially when it manages to spark off children's imagination and then channel their excitement and ideas so that they concentrate on the tasks they are given. The assessments of the children's progress at the end of their Reception year show that they make good progress. During different parts of the day, the children are given a good range of choices, which can often lead them to becoming engrossed in what they do. The care children are given is good, as reflected in their good personal development. Leadership of the EYFS is developing through more delegation of responsibilities.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Develop further the way pupils' progress is tracked to improve teaching.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that much more of the teaching is good or better.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve marking and provide more opportunities for pupils to evaluate their own work and that of their peers, to help pupils know what they need to do to improve. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 10–11 November 2008

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Grade: 3

Past assessments at the end of Year 2 show standards that are broadly average. In 2008, there were very few Year 2 pupils that attained the above average Level 3 in reading and mathematics and none in writing, demonstrating some underachievement for the most able. The improved tracking systems indicate that there is a much better proportion of pupils on track to attain Level 3 in 2009. By the end of Year 6, the standards pupils reach in reading, mathematics and science are well above average. Standards in writing are not as impressive. The amount of progress pupils make varies. Children make good progress in the EYFS and at the start of Key Stage 2. The rate of progress then dips but accelerates again in Year 6. The pattern of rates of progress for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is similar to other pupils. Inconsistencies in the rate of progress pupils make, and weaker progress in writing, prevent

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Grade: 3

pupils' achievement being consistently good.

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Grade: 2

The pupils' personal development is good, as promoted by the supportive ethos of the school and the 'family' atmosphere. The experience of Callow End School helps pupils grow in confidence. The pupils are very caring towards each other, they much enjoy school and their attendance is satisfactory. During the inspection, the Year 6 pupils attended the village Remembrance service and their behaviour was exemplary, showing maturity and respect. Behaviour is often very good but, during some lessons where pupils are not challenged, they tend to become less focused on what they should be doing. The take up of the relatively new school dinners, extra-curricular sporting activities and work done in physical education lessons help pupils to adopt healthy lifestyles. Pupils also get opportunities to keep fit when they take part in 'Jumping Jaxx', the physical programme led by pupils at dinner times. Responsibilities such as being a member of the school council, litter

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Grade: 2

pickers and other jobs around the school give pupils good opportunities to contribute to the community of the school. Through links with another school in Gambia and the support given to charities, pupils also get a chance to contribute to the community beyond Callow End. Opportunities to be involved in the planning and development of school facilities, for example the outside area, gives pupils an insight into the world of work.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection. All pupils benefit from a positive classroom environment where children's work is displayed in imaginative ways to celebrate what pupils have achieved. In every class, there are very good relationships between pupils and staff. When teaching is good, teachers have high expectations of what pupils should learn, so pupils are challenged well. Good lessons really engage pupils because they find them exciting and challenging. When teaching is satisfactory, it sometimes does not encourage pupils to sustain good working habits. For example, in some lessons, pupils are allowed to produce poorly presented work. Another feature of satisfactory lessons is a lack of clarity in knowing 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 10–11 November 2008 what pupils need to have learnt by the end of the lesson to demonstrate that they have made

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Grade: 2

The range of curricular experiences children are involved in is very good, including, for example, an outdoor pursuit at Llanrug, visits to different places of worship, visits to places of interest and theatre visits. All of these enrich the curriculum that is on offer. Outside, as part of the 'forest school' programme, the pupils get opportunities to learn that make learning lively. Underpinning the enrichment to the curriculum is a good diet of English, mathematics, science, and information and communication technology. To ensure the curriculum is matched to pupils' learning needs, teaching assistants are often deployed well to support small groups of pupils. Good plans are in place to make the curriculum more focused on the skills pupils learn in subjects like history and geography.

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Grade: 3

The level of pastoral care pupils receive is good. The pupils are known as individuals by all staff. All systems and checks are in place to keep pupils safe. When necessary, school staff work well with other agencies to ensure pupils' needs are met. Since September, the academic guidance pupils receive has improved. The new headteacher has introduced a series of statements, which pupils can use to identify what they need to learn next in English. This new way of working has not been in place long enough to have any significant impact on standards. The quality of teachers' marking varies and, at times, does not tell pupils what they need to do to improve. There are also occasions when teachers' marking fails to highlight where pupils are making mistakes or producing work that is poorly presented.

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Grade: 3

In a very short time, the headteacher has accurately identified the key strengths of the school and where further improvement is needed. Her monitoring of the quality of teaching has been thorough and accurate, and is improving teaching as it focuses more on accelerating the progress pupils make. She has a clear vision and has already implemented a number of improvement strategies. Good plans to develop the curriculum and improve the quality of teachers' assessments have been written and work has started. She has also taken action to plan for subject leaders to have opportunities to develop their roles and impact on the quality of teaching and standards. Tracking the progress made by pupils has been another recent activity and has begun to pin down where progress fluctuates. The development of tracking and use of it as a tool for planning teaching has been rightly identified as a priority. Governors are systematic in

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Grade: 3

the way they monitor and evaluate the performance of the school. Governors are keen to support the school but also hold the school to account when necessary. The impact of governance on the direction of the school has improved since the time of the previous inspection. The impact of the work of the headteacher is noticeable but the overall level of development of leadership roles in the school has led to only satisfactory impact on provision. However, the rapid action taken by the headteacher and the work of the governors demonstrates the school has good capacity to improve further. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 10–11 November 2008 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 10–11 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? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 10–11 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 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 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? 3 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 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: Callow End CofE Primary School, 10–11 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 November 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Callow End CofE Primary School, Worcester, WR2 4TE I am writing to inform you of what I found out when I visited your school this week. First, I must thank you for being so friendly and helpful in the way you talked to me about the work you were doing and all about your school. I was impressed with your good behaviour and the mature and sensible way you behave. Your school is a very caring place and because of that, you enjoy school and feel safe there. You are getting a satisfactory education. When I visited your classrooms, I saw some very good displays of your work and saw how much the teachers want to make classrooms exciting places to be in. I remember when I was in the Reception class seeing children getting very excited as they had a trip on a magic flying carpet. In most of the lessons, you were working hard and making good progress. However, there were times when you were given work that was too easy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and so you did not concentrate as much. I was disappointed when I saw some of your workbooks because I thought your handwriting and presentation was not neat enough. I enjoyed watching 'Jumping Jaxx' taking place and, when I saw the pictures from Llanrug, I realised that you get some good opportunities to do exciting things. Your new headteacher is working hard with all of the other staff to improve your school. I have given her three jobs to add to her list.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that more of your lessons are at least good.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that when teachers mark your work they pick out the things you have done well and the things that you need to improve on. I have also asked teachers to make sure you get time to check your own work and each other's work. ■ Use records about your progress to plan work that is hard enough.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You can help by concentrating in lessons and working very hard to improve the presentation of your work. Yours sincerely Andrew Cook Her Majesty's Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 10–11 November 2008

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