St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury

St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury Inspection report - amended

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126388 Unique Reference Number Wiltshire Local Authority 328489 Inspection number 25 March 2009 Inspection date Deborah Zachary 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) 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 Jane Bacon Chair Beatrice Aldous Headteacher 31 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 Weaveland Road School address Tisbury Salisbury SP3 6HJ 01747 870675 Telephone number

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4–11 Age group 25 March 2009 Inspection date 328489 Inspection number 01747 871757 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 25 March 2009 Inspection date 328489 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. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury, 25 March 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by a team of two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St John's draws most of its pupils from the village of Tisbury. It is comparatively small and this means that three of the four classes contain two year groups, although children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught as a single year group Reception class. Almost all the pupils are from a White British background. A higher proportion of pupils than usual have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Tisbury Pre-school is located on the same site but is inspected separately.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury, 25 March 2009

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Grade: 3

St John's is providing its pupils with a satisfactory education. Its senior leaders ensure that pupils are safe and secure, and develop a good level of maturity by the time they leave at the end of Year 6. The children get a good start to their schooling in the Reception class, and pupils in Key Stage 2 are now making good progress in English, but overall achievement in the school is satisfactory. The particular success in English is the result of recent action taken to raise standards; this and other developments since the last inspection show that the school has the capacity to improve further. Many of the improvements have been focused on the curriculum. For example, a specific daily time has been introduced for the study of phonics, and the curriculum has been improved in science, where progress was inadequate last year. Whilst the curriculum is now good, the quality of teaching and learning remains at a satisfactory level. Teachers go to great lengths

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Grade: 3

to make learning fun, but some opportunities for a rigorous focus on basic skills are missed in lessons. Teaching is monitored and advice given, but points for development that are identified are neither recorded formally nor revisited to ensure improvement. Results of national assessments at the end of Key Stage 1 show that pupils make satisfactory progress in reading, writing and mathematics. In Key Stage 2, results since the previous inspection have been below average and have indicated some patches of underachievement, particularly in 2006 in English and mathematics, and in 2007 and 2008 in science. Pupils' progress is very carefully tracked in mathematics and English but there is no similar analysis of how standards are developing in science as they move through the school. That said, the science work of pupils currently in Year 6 indicates they are covering science at the standard they should. In mathematics, pupils in all year groups are making satisfactory progress this year.

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Grade: 3

The school's tracking, however, shows that some pupils currently in Year 6 made inadequate progress earlier in Key Stage 2. The gaps in their learning have been identified well and addressed in their programme of work, but the progress they are making now is not yet good enough to fully make up lost ground. The school is a very inclusive place where the pupils get on very well together. They are well cared for, behave well and have a good knowledge of how to stay healthy. They also make a good contribution to the smooth running of the school, and express clearly what they feel is important – a comment by a pupil recorded at a school council meeting points out that 'this school likes you whether you are rich or poor and welcomes all kinds of people from different countries with different skin colour and different religions'. The pupils' good awareness of the wider world is the result of a concerted drive by the

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Grade: 3

headteacher to widen horizons for them. Visits and visitors have been used well to support this initiative and contribute greatly to the pupils' good enjoyment. Staff work together and share ideas, and there is the will to raise achievement further. One parent summed up the positive comments on inspection questionnaires by writing, 'A lovely school with great facilities, caring staff and masses of potential.'

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Grade: 2

The well-organised surroundings in the Reception class encourage children to make good progress in learning, knowing that they are well cared for and secure. There are good links with 5 of 12 Inspection Report: St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury, 25 March 2009 the local pre-school and both children and their parents are made welcome; as a result they settle quickly. In Autumn 2007 children entered the school with skills and understanding that were a little above the levels expected for their age, and by the time they moved into Year 1 standards were securely above average. Those currently in the class are also achieving well as the result of good teaching and interesting activities. During the inspection they much enjoyed using the interactive whiteboard and made good progress in linking letters and sounds together. The children are monitored closely by both teacher and teaching assistants, whose assessments

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Grade: 2

are used well to make sure the work the children are given is suitable. The small size of the class ensures that they get plenty of very effective individual attention from the teacher, but there are some restrictions on their learning through independent play. The outside area has no shelter and has limited equipment and resources, and when there is no teaching assistant present it is difficult to create opportunities for play outside as well as indoors.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve teaching and sharpen monitoring of teaching so that points for improvement are clearly recorded and followed up. ■ Track the standards pupils are reaching in science throughout the school so that any underachievement can be identified and addressed. ■ Improve resources and facilities to encourage independent outdoor play for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Results in national assessment tests have been below average overall since the last inspection. Progress through Key Stage 2 has been below what is typical nationally. In 2007, progress in mathematics improved and the school focused on English. This has led to significantly better achievement, with some impact in the 2008 results and significant improvements for the current Year 6 pupils. Their progress in the subject has been good through the key stage, and excellent in reading. The progress made by Year 6 pupils this year has been satisfactory in mathematics and science, but in mathematics the school's tracking data show that they have much ground to make up. The results for 2007 and 2008 show that progress through Key Stage 2 was inadequate in science. Pupils make satisfactory progress through Key Stage 1 and good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Throughout the school, boys and girls make similar progress, and suitable

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Grade: 3

support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities ensures that they too make steady progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good; they show that they can reflect and listen to each other with respect. They mix well and play sensibly and safely together. Playtimes are enhanced by a variety of equipment organised by the pupils themselves. They 6 of 12 Inspection Report: St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury, 25 March 2009 also make a strong contribution to the local community, for example working with the parish council to improve traffic safety in the immediate surroundings of the school. Work further afield has included demonstrating their good awareness of nutrition, through running a healthy food stall in Shaftesbury during a 'Local Food' day. They show concern for the efficient and fair use of resources, saving energy and raising funds for Water Aid. Pupils are appropriately prepared for their future economic well-being. Although their skills in numeracy and literacy

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Grade: 2

have been below average, they work well in groups and take part in some appropriate enterprise activities, such as organising stalls for the fete. Attendance has improved, and is now above average.

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Grade: 3

Some good features of teaching were evident during the inspection. Lessons are made fun through a good selection of relevant contexts and use of interesting resources. In a Years 1 and 2 lesson about writing invitations, pupils enjoyed good use of the interactive whiteboard. In a Years 3 and 4 literacy lesson that was linked well to topic work on the Anglo-Saxons, pupils sat in rapt silence, completely engrossed at seeing what might emerge from Grendel's sack. 'Talking partners', where pupils discuss ideas with a friend, are often used well to raise interest and explore ideas. In mathematics, lessons contain mathematical games and interesting patterns are drawn out well. For example, in a Years 5 and 6 lesson, addition practice was made much more engrossing by asking pupils to choose a number with consecutive digits, reverse it and add the two numbers together so that a correct answer would have an interesting array of

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Grade: 3

digits. However, lessons also missed opportunities to really focus on basic skills such as spelling. Pupils' subtraction skills were not rigorously checked during one game, and so some answers remained uncorrected. More able pupils were not always fully challenged.

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Grade: 2

The staff at the school have a very good awareness of its context and the pupils' backgrounds. They have designed a curriculum that contains a very wide range of experiences, focused on pupils' interests and requirements. These include visiting artists from a range of ethnic backgrounds, trips to London and specific enrichment activities for able, gifted and talented pupils. Resources in the local area are well used - for example the church, a local farm and sites of historic interest. Visits to nature reserves and a wildlife camp also play their part. The pupils' performances in tests are analysed very carefully to identify areas in which individuals and year groups have shown misunderstandings or lower marks, and the curriculum in English and mathematics is then amended to ensure additional coverage. The Key Stage 2 science curriculum has been considerably revised for this year, and as a result pupils' work shows a good focus on

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Grade: 2

higher-level investigation skills. The curriculum for the Early Years Foundation Stage covers all the required areas of experience, but the potential of the 'outside classroom', the enclosed playground outside the children's room, is not fully exploited. 7 of 12 Inspection Report: St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury, 25 March 2009

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Grade: 3

All safeguarding requirements are met and adults provide good pastoral care to pupils. The school is innovative in ensuring pupils are able to ask for help; for example Key Stage 2 pupils regularly write a private note to their teacher saying whether they are happy or have concerns. They are confident that any concerns will be taken seriously - as one said, 'Staff listen and help.' Any vulnerable children are identified well and their needs reviewed regularly. Professionals from outside the school are drawn in when appropriate to provide advice and pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities have appropriate plans and targets. Their progress is regularly reviewed, though targets are not always quickly revised to reflect improvements. All pupils benefit from sound guidance on how to improve as work is corrected and suggestions or comments added by teachers. They have a literacy target each, which they know, but as yet

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Grade: 3

no personal numeracy targets to guide them. Liaison with the pre-school and secondary school is good.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher's leadership has been particularly effective in ensuring the school is a caring and welcoming place, where children are happy. Pupils all have equal opportunities and feel included, and there is good provision to help pupils understand that they are members of a community, both near at hand and worldwide. The deputy headteacher has provided good support through work on tracking pupils' achievement in English and mathematics, and this is a strong feature of the school's satisfactory self-evaluation. Targets set for results at the end of Year 6 are appropriate. Planning and strategies put into place for improvement have had a good impact in some areas, notably in English and in improving attendance. However, the balance has been weighted towards improving the curriculum, without such a close focus on teaching. As a result, the school's evaluation of the quality of teaching is more positive than the evidence supports.

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Grade: 3

Success has sometimes been measured in terms of whether strategies have been put into place, rather than whether they have had an impact on achievement. Governance is satisfactory. Governors support the school well and are willing to challenge and debate issues they have discussed. However, they have not been fully aware of the areas of weakness in the pupils' achievement in recent years. The majority of parents returned questionnaires that were very appreciative of what the school does. A small minority indicated that they felt the school does not always take account of parents' views. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury, 25 March 2009 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury, 25 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? 3 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

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury, 25 March 2009

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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 2 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 3 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury, 25 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

26 March 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury SP3 6HJ Thank you for being so welcoming when we visited your school. We have judged your school to be satisfactory, which means that whilst it does some important things well, a number of other things need to be improved before you are able to make consistently good progress in your work. We were particularly impressed by how good you are at knowing what is healthy, and how keen you are that everyone should be included and treated fairly. You behave well, and we saw what a good variety of activities the school puts on for you. You told us you feel very safe and we saw that you are well cared for. You are starting to use your literacy targets to help you improve your work, and you are making good progress in English – well done. We know your lessons are fun, and that is really good, but we are asking the school to look at how the teaching can

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

be made even better so that you always make good progress. Some of the older pupils have some ground to make up in mathematics, so we have asked the school to help everyone to learn more quickly in this subject. Your teachers have looked very carefully at what you have learnt in mathematics and they know exactly where you need to improve. You can help by working as hard as you can. We have also asked the school to track what you know in science more closely, to make sure everyone is making as much progress as they should be. The youngest children already get a good start in the Reception class. They are helped to settle quickly and start to learn well. At the moment they do not get so much out of the outdoor play area they have, because there is no shelter, there are only a few toys, and there is not always another grown-up available to help the teacher. If those things were improved the youngest class would be really great.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

With best wishes Yours faithfully Deborah Zachary Lead inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: St John's Church of England Primary School, Tisbury, 25 March 2009

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