Boxgrove CofE Primary School

Boxgrove CofE Primary School Inspection report

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125974 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 328432 Inspection number 12 November 2008 Inspection date David Collard 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 66 School (total) 9 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 David Brecknell Chair Andrew Simpson Headteacher 12 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 Street School address Boxgrove Chichester PO18 0EE 01243 773309 Telephone number 01243 785 640 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 12 November 2008 Inspection date 328432 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: Boxgrove CofE Primary School, 12 November 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. They evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: whether the issues from the last inspection about progress in writing have been fully resolved whether the more able and gifted and talented pupils are making the best possible progress whether the right strategic actions have been taken at all levels of leadership, including governance, and how this has provided the challenge and impact to move the school forward. Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, interviews with the headteacher and chair of governors, and discussions with pupils, parents and staff. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but no evidence was found to suggest that the school's own assessments, 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

This small school serves the village of Boxgrove, although an increasing number of children are coming from further afield. Almost all pupils are from a White British background. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is below that seen in other schools and there are no pupils with a statement of special educational needs. Most pupils start the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) when they are either four or five years old and join those already in Year 1. Two other mixed-age classes cater for Years 2 and 3 and Years 4, 5 and 6. The school has achieved Healthy Schools status and holds the Eco-school award and Activemark. It is now working towards Artsmark Gold.

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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: Boxgrove CofE Primary School, 12 November 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. There are a number of outstanding features including the exemplary behaviour of pupils and the excellent curriculum that is very much enjoyed by all. By the time they leave at the end of Year 6, pupils have achieved well in English, mathematics and science, and good proportions of them are working at levels above those expected for their age. All this, plus good achievement in a number of other subjects, is ensuring that pupils have excellent life skills and are extremely well prepared for their next stage of education. The experienced headteacher has an exceptionally good grasp of both the strengths and the areas that need to be developed. He has been instrumental in building high levels of confidence among both the parents and the community. His pragmatic approach to improving provision and academic standards within this small school has ensured that there has been good improvement from

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Grade: 2

the positive comments reported at the time of the last inspection. Nevertheless, restricted accommodation impairs the quality of education, especially for the EYFS children. The pupils are very proud of their school and are eager and willing to share all of their experiences. In discussion, they were keen to explain how the many different visits, visitors and practical work they undertake help them to understand more about what they learn. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is good. Different ages mix well during playtimes and continuously help each other in the mixed-age classes. The school cannot provide hot meals. This is because of the lack of space within the school meaning that pupils have to walk to a nearby hall with their packed lunch. They do this without fuss and are quite happy to sit, chat and wait for everybody to finish before walking back to the school. Pupils have a

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Grade: 2

good understanding of world cultures and are active collectors for local, national and international charities. Their understanding about how different cultures interact together within their own country is less well developed. Pupils' decision-making skills have been tested through approaching the parish council to suggest ideas and by a follow up to a recycling scheme that includes collecting organic waste after lunch. Pupils have an excellent understanding about how to stay fit, healthy and safe. This includes specific programmes during lessons as well as participation in activities such as the fruit and vegetable scheme, with some grown in the school's own 'allotment'. How effective this has been can be seen in the increase in the uptake of fruit to over 95% of the pupils since the scheme started. Another example was the attendance at an annual 'Safety and me' exhibition where pupil and parent questionnaires

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Grade: 2

demonstrated how effective this had been. Standards on entry to the school fluctuate because of the small numbers in each cohort. The school quickly identifies individual issues and strong support is given to ensure good progress through the EYFS, even though the lack of outdoor space is a limiting factor. Good progress continues through Years 1 to 6 but achievement improves more rapidly as pupils move towards the top end of the school. This is because work here is more challenging for all pupils and particularly those capable of achieving higher levels. There are good opportunities for those in Years 5 and 6 to have highly individualised and concentrated small group work, which makes for rapid progress. The school's much improved tracking data show that pupils make especially good progress in reading and mathematics and that the recent development of provision for writing is starting to have an effect on standards, although they are not as high. In national

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Grade: 2

test results this year, while targets overall were met in Year 2, two thirds of pupils achieved the above average Level 5 in English and mathematics, which significantly exceeded the school's expectations set two years ago for this cohort. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Boxgrove CofE Primary School, 12 November 2008 All staff work closely as a team to ensure pupils receive a good balance of experiences. Teachers deal well with the possible difficulties of teaching mixed-age classes. They plan work for both specific age groups as well as different abilities. Activities often include practical experiences that link a number of subjects. For example, pupils recently collected apples from the school orchard, went further afield to pick blackberries, then came back and researched how to make a crumble. Recipes were written, crumbles made and the pitfalls explained in the evaluations. In addition, pupils wrote poems about the experience. There are numerous examples of this

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Grade: 2

type of work. In fact, pupils found it difficult to recall the different visits they had undertaken this term because they were so intrinsically linked to other curriculum work completed in the classroom. Pastoral support is outstanding and contributes to pupils' excellent personal development. Extreme care is taken to ensure pupils' welfare and pupils are encouraged and feel able to share their concerns and worries. Academic guidance is good. Marking is conscientiously undertaken, although it does not always help inform pupils about what to do next. Pupils are given targets for improvement but not in all classes are they negotiated with the pupils and so sometimes are not challenging enough or fully understood. While the older pupils understand what level they are working at this is not so clear to the younger pupils, especially in relation to improving their writing skills. The school has collated the wealth of assessment information well and is

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Grade: 2

using this to determine where help can be most effective. All staff are involved in the process, although on occasions this is not so evident in pupils' work when activities rely on completing similar tasks rather than it extending the work that has gone before. At its best, the pupils have a range of highly thoughtful activities as was seen in one class working on line graphs. Parents are highly supportive of all aspects of the school and what it provides. The headteacher provides a very clear direction. He has cleverly balanced the shortcomings of the accommodation, the raising of achievement and the problems of ensuring the school can raise its performance. This is based on an outstanding self-evaluation, which has led to challenging targets and a clear and well-defined improvement plan to achieve these. The governing body is very supportive and is actively involved in many of the activities that the school undertakes. Nevertheless, its

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Grade: 2

role in monitoring the school's provision and outcomes is underdeveloped and relies too heavily on the expertise of the chair of governors. This places a heavy burden on the headteacher as the only member of the senior leadership team. Despite this, there is much evidence to show that the school continues to have a good capacity to improve in the future.

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Grade: 2

Effective provision ensures children achieve well through the Reception Year. Good liaison with the pre-school settings, parents and carers ensures children quickly settle into school life and actively participate in lessons. By the end of the year, early communication, language and literacy skills as well as those for mathematical, creative and social development are generally at least in line with those expected for children of this age. Teaching is good with a range of different activities designed to promote independence through teacher-directed work and indoor play activities. The role-play areas encourage children's imagination and other activities, such as the impending Cinderella Ball, provide themes that give relevance to children's learning and allow them to develop different skills. As there is no cover, the outside area can only be used during dry weather. This restricts the ability of children to use the area at all times and

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Grade: 2

to make choices from a wider range of play opportunities. The EYFS phase is led well, combining both the expertise of the teacher and the teaching assistant. Good assessments are made which 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Boxgrove CofE Primary School, 12 November 2008 help ensure early intervention for those with specific needs and to gauge the overall improvement in the children's work.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Build upon the work already done to raise the proportion of pupils gaining higher levels in writing, especially by involving pupils, particularly in Years 1 and 2, in setting their own targets. ■ Improve the role of the whole governing body so that it is actively involved in becoming a 'critical friend' of the school. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Boxgrove CofE Primary School, 12 November 2008 .

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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: Boxgrove CofE Primary School, 12 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? 2 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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Boxgrove CofE Primary School, 12 November 2008

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learners?

2 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? 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 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 1 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: Boxgrove CofE Primary School, 12 November 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

13 November 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Boxgrove Church of England Primary School, Boxgrove, PO18 0EE Thank you very much for looking after us during our recent visit. We thoroughly enjoyed finding out what you were doing and how well you were getting on. It will not surprise you to know that we have said you are at a good school. In fact, we have also said there are some outstanding features. As I promised some of you, I have written the main points from our report below.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You told us how proud you were of your school and we can see why. Your behaviour is exceptional and you certainly enjoy your time at the school. We have said that we think personal development is outstanding so keep this up! ■ You are taught well. Your teachers work hard to make sure all the activities are exciting and well planned. This is ensuring that you make good progress through each year group and are reaching standards when you leave that are above those of other pupils of your age. Those of you now in Year 6 have a lot to live up to! ■ You are looked after extremely well and know how to stay safe, fit and healthy. We were particularly impressed with how well you go and return to the village hall for lunch and how well you get on with each other while you are there. ■ You have an excellent range of activities so we have said the curriculum is outstanding. As some of you said, 'You don't know how you fit everything in.'

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your headteacher, along with the rest of the staff, knows how to improve your school. They will be continuing to work on making your school one of the best. We have suggested some things that will help. First, we have asked that more of you do better with your writing by making sure the youngest children know what they need to try and achieve through their targets. Second, we have said that all the governors need to help with monitoring what the school does. You can help by continuing to make helpful suggestions of your own and working hard with your writing to make sure it is at the same high level as your work in reading and mathematics. Finally, after the good start you are making, we hope you all do well as you move on to your other schools. Yours faithfully David Collard Lead inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Boxgrove CofE Primary School, 12 November 2008

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