Lavant CofE Primary School

Lavant CofE Primary School Inspection report - amended

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125986 Unique Reference Number West Sussex Local Authority 328436 Inspection number 15 October 2008 Inspection date Wendy Forbes 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 88 School (total) 15 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 Chris Hawker Chair Christine Smith 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 West Stoke Road School address Lavant Chichester PO18 0BW 01243 527382 Telephone number 01243 530677 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 15 October 2008 Inspection date 328436 Inspection number

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Amended Report Addendum

Report amended due to factual inaccuracy

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Amended Report Addendum

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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Amended Report Addendum

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: Lavant CofE Primary School, 15 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. The inspectors focused in particular on: how well the provision is meeting the needs of all pupils, particularly in Years 1 and 2 the progress made particularly in writing throughout the school how effective leaders and managers have been in raising achievement as well as pursuing areas identified for improvement. 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 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

Lavant is a popular, rapidly growing small village primary school that includes Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision for children aged four. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average. Their difficulties include speech and language problems as well as moderate learning difficulties in literacy and numeracy. The school has received the Artsmark Gold, Activemark, Healthy School, ECO and Travel Mark awards.

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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: Lavant CofE Primary School, 15 October 2008

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Grade: 2

Lavant is a good school, which lives up to its aim of providing an environment '…to help children achieve their potential through an ethos of support and high expectations……'. Parents express positive views about the school and rightly say that it is 'a happy school where children enjoy learning', as seen by children laughing and running into school at the start of the school day. Parents appreciate the opportunities provided by the school to become involved in their child's learning or to extend their own understanding of how children learn. Good relationships are characterised by courtesy, mutual respect and outstanding behaviour. Pupils make good progress and achieve well. The headteacher provides outstanding leadership and management. Her sense of urgency and sharp direction in raising standards, without losing sight of the importance of ensuring pupils' personal well-being, ensure that pupils enjoy the culture of school improvement

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Grade: 2

without the pressure of constant testing. She is well supported by an enthusiastic senior leadership team whose good skills ensure that the sharply focused improvement plan is rigorously implemented and carefully evaluated. When children first start school the majority have the skills expected for their age. They achieve well throughout the EYFS and most children make good progress in line with their starting points. Standards in Years 1 and 2 show a rapidly improving picture and are now above national averages. Standards at the end of Year 6 have been significantly above average since the last inspection, with exceptional progress in both mathematics and science. Standards of writing have improved, but are not yet as high as those in other subjects. Hence, pupils' achievement overall is good. There are rigorous systems for assessing, tracking and evaluating the progress of each pupil are driving improvement. The school knows each pupil, their rate of progress and

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Grade: 2

individual needs very well. There is no hiding place in this small school and everyone contributes to its success. Assessment information is used well to inform teachers' planning and provide effective analysis of pupil's needs. Good intervention and support systems mean that pupils with learning difficulties receive well targeted support and make good progress in line with their starting points. Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils are very well cared for and are confident that school is a safe and happy place. The school has worked hard to improve attendance and has made good progress so that attendance rates are now good despite a small number of families still taking a holiday in term time. Pupils enthusiastically take on an exceptional range of responsibilities. Fellow pupils talk positively about the care provided by older pupils who act as playground activity leaders. Pupils benefit from a unique range of

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Grade: 2

opportunities to contribute to the wider community as seen in the project at the local special school where older pupils provided massage for children with severe learning needs. These opportunities for pupils to work independently, use their initiative, and develop decision making skills have resulted in pupils growing in self esteem and confidence. Teaching and learning are good. Pupils commented that 'teachers make learning fun so that we are interested and learn better'. Relationships are good and pupils are keen to learn. There are good opportunities for pupils to develop their speaking and listening skills and to be active learners, and there is the right amount of challenge for most pupils. Teaching assistants give good support. There are some good examples where pupils have become involved in assessing and planning the next steps in their own learning. The curriculum overall is outstanding, reflecting the creativity with

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Grade: 2

which teachers plan and make links between other subjects as seen in the school's 'Takeaway Tasks' and 'Learning Journeys'. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about these tasks which provided 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Lavant CofE Primary School, 15 October 2008 opportunities for developing skills as independent learners. The curriculum has provided an excellent framework to help raise standards particularly in Years 1 and 2 and in writing. The school acknowledges the need to increase the number of computers in each class so that every pupil has equal access. Many pupils of all ages take part in a unique range of after school clubs including French, fencing and 'house orderly club', where pupils learn a range of domestic skills, provided by the wider community as well as the school. The school makes excellent use of its many links with outside services, neighbouring schools, the local church as well as community groups to enhance the curriculum and to provide

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Grade: 2

specialised support and advice for particular groups of pupils. The leadership team has demonstrated that through sharp focus, rigorous monitoring and personalised support they can bring about good improvement, impacting particularly in Years 3 to 6 where standards of numeracy are significantly above the national average. Governors provide good support for the school, as both a critical friend and by holding the school to account through their monitoring role. Excellent leadership and management and a strong team ethos among staff, coupled with rigorous evaluation and planning, have led to very good improvements in standards and in pupils' achievement. This demonstrates the school's outstanding capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

The Reception class is a fun place to be with lots of practical hands on activities where children are nurtured, play together happily and develop a love of learning. There are good relationships between the school and home. Parents commented about how pleased they were with the way their children settled into Reception and the progress they are making. The team is well led by the coordinator. Learning is well planned and activities are well matched to the needs of most pupils. There is a good balance of independent and adult led activities both inside and outside the classroom. Significant improvements have been made in the outdoor learning area since the last inspection which has enhanced good provision. Staff know the children well and make sure that they get the right level of support to help them develop independence and also to feel secure. The school makes good use of assessment information to target particular aspects

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Grade: 2

in need of improvement such as speech and language. The good curriculum and good quality teaching mean that all pupils make good progress, particularly in numeracy.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the progress made in writing so that standards are as good as those in reading, speaking and listening. ■ Improve the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) so that there are enough computers for every child to have equal access. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Lavant CofE Primary School, 15 October 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. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Lavant CofE Primary School, 15 October 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? 1 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? 1 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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Lavant CofE Primary School, 15 October 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? 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 1 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Lavant CofE Primary School, 15 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 October 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Lavant CofE Primary School, Chichester PO18 0BW Thank you for making us feel so welcome in your school when we visited it recently. We really enjoyed meeting you, talking to you and looking at your work. We were very impressed with how hard you work and what a happy place your school is. You go to a good school where most of you make good progress. Your headteacher and staff really care about you, and provide lots of interesting extra activities for you, such as school visits, enrichment weeks, French, fencing and outdoor learning, to help make learning fun. You told us you enjoy school and work hard to do your best. You get on well with each other and have excellent attitudes to both work and play. You have a really good understanding of how to stay safe and healthy and help others to have a happy time at school, particularly older children who give up their playtimes to organise play activities for younger pupils. We think

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the quality of teaching you get is good. We feel that there are some things that your school could do better. This is because not all pupils are achieving their personal best in writing and there are not enough computers available for all of you to use when you need them to do your work. We have asked your school to make some improvements to help. These are:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ improve the progress you make in writing, so that standards are as good as those in reading, speaking and listening ■ provide enough computers so that each pupil has the opportunity to use one when they need it for their work. I hope all of you will continue to do all you can to ensure that your school continues to improve and that you achieve the best possible results. Your outstanding behaviour and attitudes will help your teachers work on the things they need to do. Best wishes for the future. Wendy Forbes Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Lavant CofE Primary School, 15 October 2008

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