Wootton St Peter's Church of England Primary School

Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School Inspection report

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123223 Unique Reference Number Oxfordshire Local Authority 327870 Inspection number 9 March 2009 Inspection date Olson Davis 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 114 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 Angela Huxter Chair Mrs Shona Howie Headteacher 12 January 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Wootton Village School address Boars Hill OX1 5HP 01865 735643 Telephone number

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4–11 Age group 9 March 2009 Inspection date 327870 Inspection number 01865 735643 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 9 March 2009 Inspection date 327870 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: Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School, 9 March 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

■ The strengths in pupils' personal development and well-being.

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Introduction

■ The progress pupils make in mathematics and writing and how this relates to the quality of teaching and learning and the curriculum. ■ The impact that the leaders and governors are having on provision and achievement.

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Introduction

■ The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

■ observations of lessons, assembly, break and lunchtimes

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Introduction

■ discussions with staff, members of the governing body and pupils

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Introduction

■ the schools' records of pupils' progress and samples of pupils' work

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Introduction

■ documentation relating to the Early Years Foundation Stage and parents' questionnaires.

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Introduction

Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspectors found no evidence to suggest that the school's own judgements, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified. These are included in the report where appropriate.

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Description of the school

This small primary school is situated in a village near Oxford. There is wide variation in the skills that children have when they join the school but overall, they are what would normally be expected for their age, although their skills in communication, language and literacy are sometimes lower than expected. The vast majority of pupils are of White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is lower than average. There is Early Years Foundation Stage provision for Reception-age children. The school provides a breakfast club and after school club managed by the governing body.

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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: Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School, 9 March 2009

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Grade: 2

An important feature of this good school is its outstanding provision for pupils' care, guidance and support which contributes significantly to their excellent personal development and good achievement. The comment of one parent sums up the many positive views of the majority of parents when saying, 'My son is flourishing in a great environment'. Under the highly committed leadership of the headteacher, the school works hard to give pupils a well-rounded education and ensures that they make good progress in their learning. Central to the school's growing success is the effective partnership between the headteacher and governors, so that together, leaders provide a clear direction to the work of the school. Consequently, there is a strong sense of shared purpose among staff and a clear resolve to do their best for their pupils. Good links with the church and the local community enrich the curriculum and provide benefits for

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Grade: 2

pupils' spiritual and cultural development. Effective partnerships with other schools contribute well to the school's good provision for music, French, and information and communication technology; these links widen pupils' learning experiences and help them to enjoy their learning. As a result of the school's very caring ethos and strong support for pupils, their personal development is outstanding. Relationships are excellent. Pupils and their parents say that the caring way that older pupils look after younger pupils promotes a 'family' atmosphere in school. As a result, pupils are happy at school, feel valued, and safe. Pupils show their outstanding spiritual, moral and social development through their excellent behaviour and consideration for others. The school has worked very effectively to ensure that the various cultures represented in the local and wider communities are respected and celebrated, and this strongly supports

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Grade: 2

pupils' excellent cultural development and contributes to good community cohesion. Pupils develop a very good understanding about the diversity of British society through their work in music, art, geography and religious education. Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about International Week, where they learn about cultures around the world, and the 'wedding project', in which they studied the wedding ceremony in different faith groups. Pupils show their great enjoyment of school through their excellent attendance and enthusiastic participation in school activities. The school council allows pupils to take responsibility and to develop an understanding of the democratic process at an early age. Pupils are very involved in decisions about, for instance, improving the facilities in the playground, making changes to the school uniform and raising money to sponsor a child living abroad. Opportunities, such as

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Grade: 2

becoming a play leader, allow older pupils to work with adults in helping younger pupils to enjoy playtimes. Through the work of the 'Eco-Team' pupils develop insights into environmental issues. Team members make a valuable contribution to the life of the school as they raise pupils' awareness of the environment and organise recycling and energy saving. Pupils show an excellent understanding of the benefits of good diet and exercise. The contents of their lunch boxes reflect their understanding of eating healthily. The school has a Healthy Schools Award and an Activemark in recognition of its good work in promoting healthy living. Pupils' good basic skills and excellent personal and social skills prepare them well for the next stage of their education. Children get off to a flying start in the Early Years Foundation Stage because of excellent all-round provision. Pupils continue to achieve well and reach above average standards in their

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Grade: 2

work and national tests by the end of Year 6. This is the result of good teaching, a good curriculum and strong provision for vulnerable pupils. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School, 9 March 2009 Standards in writing, though above average, are not as high as in reading, mathematics and science. This is because fewer pupils reach the higher levels (Level 3 and Level 5) at the end of Years 2 and 6, as compared with other subjects. Although teachers provide interesting work for pupils that is well matched to their abilities, some writing tasks have not been sufficiently challenging for some of the more able pupils. Reading standards are well above average at the end of Year 2 because pupils read regularly and talk about books and, above all, teachers and support staff are skilled at teaching letters and sounds (phonics). The school found in its own monitoring of progress that some pupils in Years 3 to 6 were not

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Grade: 2

doing as well in mathematics as they should. Improvements have been made and pupils make good progress because teachers identify and close the gaps in pupils' knowledge. Similarly, the curriculum has been improved and the work set is more challenging and better matches pupils' abilities and needs. This is an example of how school leaders respond positively to their evaluations of the school's performance. Pupils make good progress because they are taught well. School leaders ensure that teachers make good use of assessment information to plan lessons and to follow pupils' progress. Teachers set high expectations of work and behaviour for their pupils. As a result, classrooms are calm, purposeful places where pupils behave very well, work hard and try to do their best. Teachers mark pupils' work well, giving useful guidance on how to improve. Skilled teaching assistants work closely with the teachers to ensure that the needs of pupils who find learning

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Grade: 2

difficult are very well catered for. As a result, they make the same good progress as their classmates. The exciting curriculum makes a substantial contribution to pupils' good academic and excellent personal development. Pupils have frequent opportunities for visits, including residential trips, which support their learning and build their confidence. Many visitors, including those who speak about different religions, mean that pupils benefit from learning in a first-hand way. The well-planned personal, social and health education programme has a positive impact so that pupils are developing very well personally. Teachers make creative links between subjects to make learning more interesting and relevant for pupils. As a result, there are increasingly good opportunities for pupils to extend their skills by writing purposefully in different subjects. Pupils have good opportunities to solve problems and to do investigations in mathematics and

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Grade: 2

science. Activities in the after school clubs ? such as art and craft, gymnastics, cycling, rugby and cookery ? develop skills and interests and add greatly to pupils' enjoyment of school. Pupils are well cared for in the breakfast club and the after school care and enjoy the wide range of interesting activities. School leaders provide good leadership and maintain a strong focus on improving achievement and providing high standards of care for pupils. They analyse assessment data effectively to set challenging targets for the school and for individual pupils. This information is used well to check that different groups of pupils are making the expected progress and swift action is taken to remedy dips in performance. This has resulted in raised standards at Year 2 and Year 6, although the school realises more needs to be done to raise achievement for the more able pupils in writing. Governors are supportive and provide challenge for the school. The

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Grade: 2

headteacher, staff and governors do much to help the school move forward. As a result, the school has made good progress since its last inspection and is well placed to continue improving. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School, 9 March 2009

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Grade: 1

Highly effective leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage contributes to the excellent start made by the youngest children. The quality of teaching is consistently outstanding from dedicated teachers and teaching assistants. Consequently, children make at least good and often outstanding progress in all areas of learning so that their attainment is often above that expected for children when they enter Year 1. There is a strong emphasis placed on developing children's early reading and writing skills to build children's confidence and encourage their enjoyment of writing. This success in developing early reading and writing skills is helping the school towards its aim of improving pupils' literacy skills throughout the school. Children benefit from excellent care and support and, as a result, their personal, social and emotional development is outstanding. They behave exceptionally well, playing and working

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Grade: 1

together in a friendly and cooperative way. Adults make excellent use of their assessments of children's achievements to provide stimulating and highly imaginative learning experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. There is a very well considered balance between adult-directed learning and activities that children choose for themselves. Resources are attractive, accessible and of excellent quality. As a result, children participate eagerly and happily in their learning, including enthusiastic play in the large sandpit, imaginative role play and devising and answering their own questions about the rainforest. Parents are highly appreciative of the excellent start the Early Years Foundation Stage provides for their children. One parent described the Reception/Year 1 class as, 'A wonderful environment that our child has flourished in-a wonderful team of teachers and support staff'.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve writing standards by increasing the proportions of pupils reaching the higher levels in writing by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School, 9 March 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: Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School, 9 March 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School, 9 March 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 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School, 9 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

20 March 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School,Boars Hill,OX1 5HP Thank you for the friendly way you welcomed us when we inspected your school. We enjoyed talking to you and took careful note of what you and your parents had to say about the school. Your school gives you a good standard of education. There are some very impressive and outstanding features to your school too, namely, your personal development and the very caring way that the school supports you and helps you in your learning. Here are a few of the many good things about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The work in the Reception class is outstanding and gives the youngest children an excellent start in your school. ■ You do well in your work. You learn a lot in your lessons because the teaching is good and you want to do your best. ■ You greatly enjoy school and behave extremely well in lessons and around the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are very well cared for by the adults in school and this helps you to feel safe.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You all benefit from the many interesting activities and experiences that the school provides for you. ■ The headteacher, senior staff and governors run the school well. They are clear about what needs to be done to improve the school. To improve further, we have asked the school to improve one main thing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help some of you to do even better in your writing.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We hope that you will help your teachers as they work hard to make your school even better for you. You can help by continuing to do your best work and keeping up the excellent behaviour. Yours faithfully Olson Davis Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Wootton St Peter's CE Primary School, 9 March 2009

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