Sedgeberrow CofE First School

Sedgeberrow CofE First School Inspection report

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116848 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire Local Authority 326464 Inspection number 9 June 2009 Inspection date Alison Grainger 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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First Type of school Voluntary aided School category 4–10 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 140 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 Simon Vaux Chair Michele Humphreys Headteacher 23 May 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Main Street School address Sedgeberrow Evesham WR11 7UF 01386 881391 Telephone number 01386 882602 Fax number

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4–10 Age group 9 June 2009 Inspection date 326464 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 9 Inspection Report: Sedgeberrow CofE First School, 9 June 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 consistency of pupils' progress through the school

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Introduction

■ the impact of teaching, academic guidance and the curriculum on pupils' progress

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Introduction

■ the quality of pupils' personal development and well-being

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Introduction

■ the extent to which leaders and managers at all levels are accountable for pupils' standards and promote improvement. Evidence was gathered from: data on pupils' attainment and progress; visits to lessons and scrutiny of pupils' work; observation of an assembly; discussions with staff, a governor, parents and pupils; and analysis of responses to the parents' questionnaire. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments of these areas, 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

Almost all pupils in this small school are from White British backgrounds. The proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. These pupils' needs are varied and most have moderate learning difficulties. Children enter the Reception class having attended a range of pre-school settings. About half the children have attended the privately run Sedgeberrow playgroup which operates on the school's site. This provision was inspected separately in December 2008.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Sedgeberrow CofE First School, 9 June 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. Some aspects of its work are outstanding. Children get off to a tremendous start in the Reception Year, where the provision is exceptionally good. Pupils' personal development and well-being, including the spiritual, moral, social and cultural aspects, are excellent. Pupils enjoy school a great deal and steadily grow in confidence and independence. Comments such as, 'Both my children are very happy at school' are typical of those made by many parents. Parents are right to be pleased with the friendly and supportive environment in which their children are nurtured and helped to flourish. The attention to pupils' welfare is strong and safeguarding arrangements meet government requirements. Pupils know a huge amount about how to stay fit and healthy. They respond enthusiastically to the many opportunities for sport and physical activity. They have a thorough understanding of the importance of a good diet. Several parents said how pleased they are with the recent

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Grade: 2

introduction of hot school meals. They appreciate that these are not only healthy, but also that they provide the opportunity for children to eat with friends, contributing to their social development. Relationships among pupils and between pupils and adults are very positive. Pupils feel safe at school and are safety conscious. Pupils of all ages make a very good contribution to the school community, for example, readily undertaking responsibilities and helping others. The school council has helped to make improvements, such as to play equipment, by making recommendations to the headteacher. Pupils are active in the wider community. They raise funds for charities and their music and drama productions, often staged at Evesham Arts Centre, are greatly enjoyed by many people. All in all, pupils are prepared well for their future lives and their academic achievement is good. Taking the intake as a whole, children begin school with attainment a little above the level

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Grade: 2

expected. Standards are well above average by the end of Year 2, and particularly high in writing. These standards are higher than they were and there are clear signs of them rising further, showing that pupils make good progress in relation to their starting points and capabilities. Standards are above average at the end of Year 5. From the start of Year 3 to the end of Year 5, pupils move on well, particularly in reading. Across the school, the overall quality of teaching is good, with examples of outstanding practice and none that is less than satisfactory. Even so, there is some variation in how well pupils have progressed over time in different year groups and in the various aspects of their work. Inconsistencies in two features of the school's provision are presently affecting the rate at which pupils move forward in their learning. Firstly, not all teaching is as sharply focused as the best on the next steps pupils need to take in their learning. Secondly, while there is much

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Grade: 2

good guidance to pupils about how they can improve their performance, this is not consistent. Feedback to pupils, such as in marking, does not always tell pupils clearly enough how they can take the next steps in learning. Parents are almost universal in their praise for the school's outstanding curriculum. One observed that, 'The wide and interesting curriculum keeps children motivated and achieving all the time.' Attention to the arts and sports is exceptionally good, providing many opportunities for pupils to excel in these areas. Provision for information and communication technology (ICT) has developed well since the last inspection and, as a result, pupils gain good competency in using computers. Topic work is also highly effective, particularly in providing meaningful opportunities for writing. This is a key reason why achievement is so good in writing by the end of Year 2. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Sedgeberrow CofE First School, 9 June 2009

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Grade: 2

The range of clubs at lunchtimes and after school, together with visiting speakers and visits, is, in the words of many parents, 'amazing'. Pupils gain a huge amount in terms of their personal development from residential visits in Years 3 to 5. Through many aspects of the curriculum and links with other schools, including one in The Gambia, community cohesion is promoted well. Pupils are encouraged to be outward looking and to gain understanding of the wider world and diversity within it. The school is well led and managed. The headteacher, staff team and governors work well together to maintain the school's strengths and build on them further. Good progress has been made since the last inspection, for example in providing better challenge for the more able pupils and giving all pupils appropriate opportunities for problem solving. The school is well placed to improve further. Nevertheless, the headteacher and governors recognise that, to

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Grade: 2

hasten improvement, the use of data to check on pupils' progress over time requires further development and refinement. The school also acknowledges that there is scope to increase the involvement of all teachers in this process. Linked to this, it has identified that the roles of key stage coordinators and some subject leaders can be increased in terms of their accountability for pupils' standards and progress. Although most parents are pleased with the school, a few expressed concerns about progress and behaviour, both of which inspectors found to be good overall.

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Grade: 1

Children settle into school very well because of the highly effective attention to their welfare, the excellent induction procedures, and the welcoming and supportive environment in Reception. Related to these aspects, the partnership with parents is outstanding. Children's personal development is excellent. Children behave very well, get on extremely well with each other and with the adults in school, and are very independent. They know how to keep safe and healthy, such as when outdoors in the sun. Many improvements have been made this year to the indoor and outdoor learning environments and to the range of activities provided. The staff team works together extremely effectively to meet all the children's learning needs. Staff continually assess children's learning and make very good use of the information gained. As a result, more able children are stretched and those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are supported very well. An excellent curriculum

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Grade: 1

and exceptional teaching ensure that children make rapid progress in their learning. Standards are well above average at the end of Reception and higher than in the past. Leadership and management of the Reception provision are excellent. The dedicated staff team is evaluative and continually looking for areas to improve. Swift and effective action is taken when improvement areas are identified.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that all teaching and feedback to pupils focuses sharply on the next steps in learning for individuals and groups. ■ Develop the use of data to check on pupils' progress over time and make sure that all teachers are involved fully in this. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Sedgeberrow CofE First School, 9 June 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. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Sedgeberrow CofE First School, 9 June 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?

1 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 1 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 1 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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Sedgeberrow CofE First School, 9 June 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 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? 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 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Sedgeberrow CofE First School, 9 June 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Sedgeberrow C of E First School, Evesham WR11 7UF Thank you for helping us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking with you, watching your lessons and looking at your work. You told us that you enjoy school a great deal. We are not surprised because it is a good school. Some of the things it does are outstanding. Many changes have been made this year to give the Reception children a stimulating environment in which they can learn outside as well as indoors. The children in Reception get off to a tremendous start as a result of the opportunities they have. They have settled into school very well indeed. We saw that you behave well. We also saw that you are friendly and helpful, willingly undertaking tasks to help your teachers. You contribute a huge amount to your school, such as by the school council making recommendations to the headteacher. You also do a significant amount to help

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the wider community, for example, in the funds you raise for charities. I know that your parents get tremendous enjoyment from the music and drama productions that you put on. You make good progress because the teaching is good and the curriculum is excellent. The adults look after you well. Your school is well led and managed. The staff and governors are keen to make it even better. To help them, we have asked them to work on these two things.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Ensure that all the teaching and advice you are given on how to improve your work helps you to take the most important next steps in your learning. This is to make sure that your progress is always as rapid as it can be. ■ Make more use of information on your standards to check up on the progress you make over time. It would help the teachers to know more about how well you do, for example, over a whole year or several years together. You can help by continuing to do your best, by behaving well and being kind to others. Thank you once again for your help. Yours faithfully Alison Grainger Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Sedgeberrow CofE First School, 9 June 2009

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