St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock

St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock Inspection report

p.1

126405 Unique Reference Number Wiltshire Local Authority 328492 Inspection number 23–24 June 2009 Inspection dates Ken Bryan Reporting inspector

p.1

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.

p.1

Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 164 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 Andy Hall Chair Karen Walker Headteacher 19 June 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection 16 Church Road School address Laverstock Salisbury SP1 1QX 01722 503590 Telephone number 01722 503590 Fax number

p.1

4–11 Age group 23–24 June 2009 Inspection dates 328492 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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 11 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock, 23–24 June 2009

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

This is a smaller than average primary school where almost all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is slightly below average. Pupils are taught in mixed-aged classes in Years 1, 2 and 3. Cohort sizes range from 17 pupils in Year 2 to 30 pupils in Year 4. The children enter the school aged four into the Early Years Foundation Stage Reception class.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock, 23–24 June 2009

p.3

Grade: 2

This good school successfully meets its aim to enable pupils to achieve and develop as sensible, caring young people within its village community. Personal and physical care is particularly strong. Excellent relationships and good quality provision effectively support pupils' outstanding personal development. This is a happy, vibrant and caring school where pupils are successfully encouraged to be healthy and feel safe. While the behaviour of most of pupils is excellent, a small number present challenging behaviour, though this is well managed ensuring a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Attendance is good. Pupils are well prepared for future study and are helped to understand how they can play their part in community life. Pupils are keen to say how much they enjoy school, especially the excellent range and number of extra-curricular opportunities. The vast majority of parents are positive about the school. 'The school excels in

p.4

Grade: 2

maintaining and promoting a community where children of all ages enjoy playing and learning together' was a typical comment. When they start school, the majority of children have skills and attitudes usually expected of this age. Because provision is outstanding, children make rapid progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and most pupils achieve the early learning goals. Progress is satisfactory in Years 1 and 2 with notably good improvements in the achievements of more able pupils in mathematics. Standards at the end of Year 6 are above average, being higher in English than in mathematics and science. This represents good progress overall. Again, higher attaining pupils do well, although middle ability pupils tend to do less well. Support for those pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and the few who have English as an additional language, is well managed and leads to good progress. Pupils

p.4

Grade: 2

achieve well because the good curriculum is well planned to be broad, relevant and enjoyable. Good teaching is also a key factor. Strengths include the careful planning of interesting and fun activities which motivate the pupils. Expectations are usually high and pupils state that they are challenged, but this is not consistent. There are also inconsistencies in the use of assessment information to set targets and raise pupils' awareness of what they are capable of. In some classes, pupils are unsure about their achievement and what they have to do to improve. Teachers' marking does not always make it clear how pupils can improve their work. Good leadership and management at all levels ensure the school is well run. All staff successfully contribute to school development and there is a strong ethic of teamwork. Self-evaluation is effective in bringing about change. Staff and governors have a good understanding of strengths

p.4

Grade: 2

and areas for further development, despite being a little cautious in declaring formally what the school is good at. The school makes a satisfactory contribution to community cohesion. While there are strong community links locally, the school's work to promote an understanding of living within a culturally diverse Britain is underdeveloped. The school's systems to record and monitor pupils' progress through the use of robust data are a particular strength. Governance is good. The school governors effectively monitor the curriculum through the use of progress data and hold the school to account. The headteacher, her senior team, subject leaders and governors set high expectations and are careful to evaluate the impact of decisions taken on pupils' learning. Collectively, they demonstrate good capacity to improve.

p.4

Grade: 1

Children are given an excellent start that builds on what they can already do when they first arrive at St Andrew's from a variety of pre-school settings. They are particularly well cared for and supported in their learning and the development of positive relationships. They respond 4 of 11 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock, 23–24 June 2009 with good behaviour and enthusiasm. Parents are extremely pleased with the way young children are introduced to school life. Children make rapid progress to reach standards that, overall, are above national expectations at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Personal, social and emotional development is outstanding. Children are very happy to work and play together, showing that they can share and be considerate. Children are emerging as readers and writers and boys are now making better progress due to the improved provision they receive, such as

p.4

Grade: 1

many opportunities to write during role play and outside activities. The children are very successfully developing their knowledge and understanding of the world through the excellent 'My Garden and Beyond' theme. In many ways, the Reception class has many emerging butterflies! The Early Years Foundation Stage is very well led and learning through a mix of independent play and teacher-directed activities is well planned. Copious assessment and recording of children's performance mean staff know the children well. Very effective use of resources and the outside area support children's learning. The deployment of well trained additional adults is particularly effective in this inclusive, purposeful and nurturing environment.

p.5

What the school should do to improve further

■ Accelerate the progress of middle ability pupils by improving feedback, including marking, on how well pupils are doing, ensuring that pupils know how to improve their work. ■ Ensure the school's promotion of community cohesion includes links with diverse communities in Britain.

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils start school with skills and attitudes which are broadly in line with expectations for their age. Progress throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding and there is clear evidence that many children reach above average standards by the time they enter Year 1. Progress within Key Stage 1 is satisfactory and most pupils make good progress throughout Key Stage 2 to achieve above average standards, especially in English. Through the use of rigorous processes to record and track individual pupils' progress, the school is able to demonstrate that many pupils are making better progress than in previous years and they are on target to achieve or exceed the challenging targets set for them. This was further supported by the good progress seen in lessons during the inspection. Most pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress, as do the small number of pupils for whom English is

p.5

Grade: 2

an additional language. Higher attaining pupils are now making good or particularly rapid progress. Pupils in the middle-ability range, however, make slower progress. The school recognises that the needs of this group are not always fully met because feedback on how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve is not consistent.

p.5

Grade: 1

Pupils' attitudes towards school are very positive. It is obvious that children enjoy being at St Andrew's. The behaviour of most pupils is exemplary and attendance is good. Outstanding relationships make a particularly good contribution to learning with pupils growing in confidence, knowing that their views and feelings matter. The School Nutrition Action Group speaks eloquently for pupils in general when they say they feel safe at school and are encouraged to take on responsibility. Pupils make a strong contribution to the school and local community through their very busy roles as monitors, councilors, club members and fund raisers. They 5 of 11 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock, 23–24 June 2009 know how to stay healthy and keep fit and are keen to be involved in eco-friendly initiatives, such as the influential 'food for life programme'. The school's home-grown produce tasted

p.5

Grade: 1

delicious! With sound basic and problem-solving skills and a very strong aptitude for working together, pupils are well prepared for future study and life in general. Spiritual, moral and social development is excellent overall with considerable strengths in pupils' understanding of right and wrong and their well developed social skills. Spiritual development is particularly strong which reflects the school's inclusive Christian ethos. Cultural development is good because of work on different customs and lifestyles which is integrated within the curriculum.

p.6

Grade: 2

There are many examples of good teaching across the school with strengths in relationships, the collaborative planning, carefully considered learning objectives, and an enthusiasm for making work interesting. Teachers are well supported by teaching assistants and, together, they manage children and learning opportunities well. Behaviour management strategies in classrooms and throughout the school are effective and have successfully reduced the impact of the challenging conduct of a small minority of pupils in Key Stage 2. Across the school and especially in lower Key Stage 2, while there are some good examples, teachers' marking and oral feedback does not consistently give pupils enough support in showing how they can improve their work.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum on offer is broad, balanced and meets statutory requirements. It is interesting, well planned and resourced, and frequently evaluated to measure its impact on pupils' learning. Work is well planned for different age groups to ensure that themes and skills develop year-on-year. Excellent, well attended extra-curricular activities enrich and extend learning opportunities which include the use of educational visits and visitors. There is an impressive and very popular range and number of after school clubs, including sport, music, dance, gardening, cookery, swimming, information and communication technology, and French. The 'Food for Life Programme' which involves the growing of vegetables in the school garden to enhance the lunchtime menus and cookery classes is particularly interesting. A good programme for social, health and citizenship education pays dividends in terms of outcomes in pupils'

p.6

Grade: 2

The school lives up to its aim to provide a secure and safe, stimulating learning environment and is true to its intentions to consider pupils' personal development. The school prides itself on focusing on the whole child. Pastoral and physical care are strengths of the school. Safeguarding arrangements are robust and effective, and school assessment procedures are well established. There are good procedures in place to ensure good attendance. Pupils are taught how to be safe through the good provision for road safety, cycling proficiency and internet safety. Pupils' performance is well documented and meticulously tracked by staff and governors. Academic guidance, while good in terms of encouraging pupils, does not go far 6 of 11 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock, 23–24 June 2009 enough in showing pupils what they have achieved and how they can improve their work. There

p.6

Grade: 2

is good practice in the process of setting targets in most classes but sometimes the lack of constructive dialogue between teacher and pupil means that there are missed opportunities to draw pupils into the process of gauging their own progress.

p.7

Grade: 2

The school has clear educational direction because it is well led and managed by the headteacher, her governors and senior leaders. Subject leaders increasingly play an effective part in management, successfully contributing to the school's development through their subject action plans. Under the headteacher's skilful leadership, the staff make a very good team. Despite being too self-effacing and having a tendency to be too cautious, the school's self-evaluation provides a good framework for further improvement. Throughout the school, there is a strong focus upon developing the whole child, the raising of standards and accelerating progress for all pupils. A fine example is in the way progress in science has improved because of careful analysis, adjustments to provision and the raising of expectations. Governance is good, with governors being well informed and prepared to be constructively critical as well as

p.7

Grade: 2

supportive. The deployment of staff and the use of resources are carefully considered to make the best use of finance. Staff and governors have developed strong links with outside agencies and parents. The school contributes to community cohesion through its excellent links with the parish and the local community. In addition, the school has established positive links with a community in Zimbabwe. However, the school has no strong links with culturally diverse communities within Britain. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock, 23–24 June 2009 .

p.7

Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock, 23–24 June 2009

p.8

Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

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

p.9

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?

p.9

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

p.9

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: St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock, 23–24 June 2009

p.9

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 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

p.10

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?

p.10

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 3 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: St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock, 23–24 June 2009

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

25 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of St Andrew's Church of England VA Primary School, Laverstock, SP1 1QX I am writing to tell you how much we enjoyed our visit to your school in such a lovely location. You are very lucky. Thank you for giving us such a warm welcome and for helping us during the inspection. You are obviously very proud of your school and you are happy and very well supported by all of your teachers and other adults. We liked the way most of you behave around the school and the way that you help one another. St Andrew's is a good school. Here are some of the highlights we found.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ What we particularly liked about your school:

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The teachers work hard to provide interesting lessons and as a result many of you enjoy coming to school and you make good progress as you move through the school. ■ Your behaviour and attitudes in class are good which helps you to learn.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are caring to one another and you are well supported by the adults.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You clearly enjoy the wide range of clubs, school visits and other activities provided by the school. ■ You know how to eat healthily and lead healthy lifestyles. The vegetables and flowers in the school's garden are growing well and the peas and radishes were delicious!

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The school runs very smoothly. The headteacher, her staff and the governors are a very good team. They have a good idea about how well the school is doing and what needs to be improved. We have asked them to work on two things to make the school better. ■ Help you to reach higher standards by marking your work carefully and telling you what you need to do to improve. ■ Make better links with other schools and communities in Britain.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You can help make these things happen by working hard and continuing to take care. Yours sincerely Ken Bryan Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Laverstock, 23–24 June 2009

p.11