Wingrave Church of England Combined SchoolOfsted inspection, 10 Jul 2009

Wingrave Church of England Combined School Inspection report

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110423 Unique Reference Number Buckinghamshire Local Authority 333451 Inspection number 9–10 July 2009 Inspection dates Gill Close HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005; it was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. 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 115 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 Lynne Roxbee Cox Chair Mrs Patricia Gurton Headteacher 4 February 2008 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Twelve Leys School address Wingrave Aylesbury HP22 4QG

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4–11 Age group 9–10 July 2009 Inspection dates 333451 Inspection number 01296 681436 Telephone number 01296 681437 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 9–10 July 2009 Inspection dates 333451 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 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This small school serves the villages of Wingrave, Aston Abbotts and Cublington and the surrounding rural area. All pupils are of White British heritage and the proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. A lower proportion than the national average is eligible for free school meals. When the school was inspected in February 2008, it was judged to require special measures because it provided an unsatisfactory standard of education. It was monitored through visits by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors in each subsequent term. This inspection is the fourth visit. The headteacher has been in post since April 2009, following one year in which an acting headteacher led the school. There have been a number of changes in staff. The school meets the Investors in People standards.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 2009

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Grade: 3

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. Wingrave Church of England Combined School is now providing a satisfactory education. Since the last inspection, pupils' achievement, standards, personal development and well-being have improved. With support from the local authority, the acting headteacher, the headteacher and the senior leaders have made substantial strides forward in all of the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Leadership and management are now satisfactory. Parents have confidence in the leadership and the staff work well together, successfully bringing about improvement. Evaluation of the school's strengths and weaknesses is accurate, and planning based on it has begun to broaden to all the areas where it is needed, although this is not systematic.

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Grade: 3

Pupils make satisfactory progress during each key stage and reach above-average standards by the end of Year 6, having made good progress during their final year. Pupils make better progress in some classes than others as a result of the differing quality of teaching. Nevertheless, teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teachers give clear explanations, and have good relationships with pupils, who, in response, work conscientiously and make satisfactory progress. In some lessons, pupils work keenly together on interesting and challenging activities which help them learn well. At other times, pupils spend too long listening, or the work is not hard enough for some of them, particularly the higher attainers. A relative weakness in writing that starts in the Early Years Foundation Stage continues throughout later years. The school has recently introduced some changes to improve writing. The curriculum is satisfactory but includes

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Grade: 3

few opportunities to link subjects or for enrichment. The school recognises the need to increase pupils' experience of living in a multicultural society and has appropriate plans to promote community cohesion. Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Pupils get on well with each other, behave well and enjoy school. They are well cared for in this happy community, and those who need extra help are well supported. Satisfactory systems are in place for assessing pupils' attainment, setting targets, tracking progress and providing intervention where it is needed, although the accuracy and breadth of assessment are still growing. In some classes, pupils develop independence well through making regular self-assessments against their targets. Nevertheless, pupils are not consistently involved in the frequent assessment of their overall attainment in a way that encourages them to push themselves to do better and make good

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Grade: 3

progress. The improvements made by the school and the quality of evaluation demonstrate its satisfactory capacity to continue to improve.

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Grade: 3

Children make satisfactory progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They enter the Reception class with skills broadly at levels expected for their age in most areas of learning, but with weaknesses in writing, calculation, and linking sounds and letters. At the end of Reception standards are average overall, although linking sounds and letters, writing and calculating remain relatively weak. Children reach above-average standards in creative 5 of 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 2009 development, knowledge and understanding of the world, numbers as labels for counting, shape, space and measures, and emotional development. In order to improve children's progress in reading and writing, letters and sounds are now taught more systematically. Children's personal development is good and they are well looked after. The quality of teaching, learning and the curriculum is satisfactory. Children are provided with

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Grade: 3

a satisfactory range of activities across all areas of learning. However, the activities are not sufficiently well linked or matched to children's needs to ensure that they are always challenged. This is because, although regular observations and assessments are made, the evidence from these is not always full enough or used well enough in planning. As a result, although the children make sound progress, it is not as good as it could be. The environment is safe and relationships between adults and children are warm and positive. Children cooperate well with one another and are considerate of the needs of others. They enjoy learning and participate enthusiastically in physical and creative activities. Although the outdoor play area allows for free access throughout the day, and children are successfully encouraged to develop a measure of independence, the organisation of activities is not sufficiently purposeful to underpin good

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Grade: 3

learning. The leadership team has identified accurately where improvements need to be made and strong support has been put in place. This is beginning to have a positive impact on both provision and practice. Good relationships are established with parents and carers and there are good arrangements to ensure a smooth transition into Year 1.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve pupils' progress and attainment across all year groups through raising the quality of teaching, target setting and assessment, so that all pupils, particularly the higher attainers, are challenged. ■ Develop a more integrated and enriched curriculum for all key stages, ensuring a focus on writing. ■ Carry out more comprehensive and systematic monitoring, evaluation and planning for improvement. ■ Promote community cohesion more effectively and extend pupils' experience of living in a multicultural society. 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

Pupils' attainment on entry to Reception varies but overall is at nationally expected levels, with some relative weaknesses in linking sounds and letters, writing and calculation. The current Year 6 pupils have reached above-average standards that reflect their good progress, particularly during this year. However, progress is not consistently as strong across all year groups and subjects. It is satisfactory in each key stage. By the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, pupils reach average standards overall, with high attainment in some areas but below-average attainment in linking sounds and letters, writing and calculation. The relative weakness in writing continues throughout the school. Also, some high-ability pupils do not achieve as highly as they might. At the end of Key Stage 1, pupils attain average standards, with low proportions reaching the higher Level 3, in particular in writing and mathematics. Current Year 2 pupils

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Grade: 3

make good progress in lessons, which has helped them to make up for some of their slower 6 of 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 2009 progress last year. By the end of Year 4, standards are average in writing and above average in mathematics. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are given good access to learning, so they make similar progress to their peers.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are happy and considerate. They enjoy coming to school and their attendance is above the national average. Behaviour is good. Pupils are polite and courteous to each other, to staff and to visitors. They develop a good understanding of healthy eating and know the importance of exercise. Pupils say they feel safe and well cared for. Younger pupils speak highly of the older pupils who are buddies and confidently say, 'They are always around to help you.' Pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is good, although their cultural development is satisfactory. Their self-esteem is good and they have a clear understanding of right and wrong. Pupils are gaining knowledge of different cultures through activities in various subjects but their understanding of living in a culturally diverse Britain is underdeveloped. Pupils take on their responsibilities seriously as members of the school council and as helpers around the

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Grade: 2

school. They are enthusiastic about taking part in local community events, such as the May Day celebrations, but they are not all involved enough in decision making in the school or in initiating contributions to the wider community. In some classes, pupils are developing independence effectively but this is inconsistent. Together with their satisfactory progress in numeracy, literacy, and information and communication technology (ICT), this prepares them satisfactorily for the future.

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Grade: 3

Satisfactory teaching enables pupils to make sound progress. Teaching quality varies between classes, with some that is consistently good or better but other teaching that is satisfactory or, occasionally, inadequate. The best teaching makes pupils think hard. It is exciting, well matched to pupils' needs and constantly adapted in response to the monitoring of pupils' progress during the lesson. It extends pupils' reasoning, develops their speaking and listening, and involves them well in self-assessment. In the satisfactory lessons, teachers explain clearly what pupils need to do so they are able to attempt the work. Nevertheless, pupils spend too long listening or are not given sufficiently collaborative or open tasks for them to develop independence. Activities do not always challenge all pupils and are sometimes too easy for the highest attainers. Pupils work hard and behave well in lessons but sometimes they depend too much on the

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Grade: 3

teacher, so do not push themselves to work things out or to try harder activities. While pupils have some targets stuck into their books, and are asked to check whether they have met any of them by the end of a unit of work, few refer to them as a matter of course to assess their current work or challenge themselves to do better. There are good relationships between teachers and pupils that successfully encourage pupils to give answers in class and to develop their confidence. Teaching assistants give well-planned support that motivates pupils and gives them access to the work. This is increasingly followed up with effective assessment and recording of what pupils have learnt. 7 of 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 2009

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is broad, balanced and meets requirements. Although there are some cross-curricular links, for example with ICT and between religious education and literacy, they are not a systematic part of the curriculum. The school has recognised the need to review the curriculum and monitor its delivery. The headteacher and senior management have made a start on reviewing how they ensure that pupils acquire skills methodically, and in small steps where appropriate, while linking core skills and subjects together in an interesting way. The sound provision in English, mathematics and science supports pupils in making satisfactory progress. There have been recent improvements in the teaching of phonics; however, there is a need for greater continuity with pre-school provision and more writing for a purpose. Pupils are made aware of how to keep themselves safe in lessons. The intervention for pupils who

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Grade: 3

need additional support or are falling behind is matched appropriately to their needs. This enables some pupils to meet targets they may not otherwise meet, but provision for higher attainers is inconsistent. French is taught throughout the school. Pupils enjoy the visits they make and participating in African drumming. Nevertheless, there are too few opportunities for enrichment through visits, visitors and online links, for example with other schools, or to learn about the diverse range of cultures in Britain. Some displays help pupils learn through interaction, or by celebrating each other's work, but there is room for them to provide further support, for example by showing how work meets targets. Pupils enjoy the good range of clubs, such as cricket, animation and recorders, which are well attended.

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Grade: 3

The pastoral care and welfare of pupils are good. Policies and procedures for ensuring pupils' health and safety are comprehensive and diligently carried out. As a result, pupils feel safe. Safeguarding requirements are met and procedures for child protection are robust. Provision for vulnerable pupils and for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well organised and effective. Good use is made of specialist outside agencies to give additional help to pupils and their families when this is necessary. Bullying has been diminished and the few cases are dealt with better than at the time of the last inspection. Care and support for transition into Reception is good. There have been many improvements in assessment and the use of targets. Marking effectively informs pupils about what they have learnt and identifies some development areas, although these are not followed up systematically across the whole school. Pupils know their individual

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Grade: 3

and group targets and make some assessments against them. In some classes, they are building their independence well through regular self-assessment. Nevertheless, the organisation of targets and use of diaries do not involve pupils frequently enough in ongoing assessment or pushing themselves to do better. Assessment and tracking of attainment in English and mathematics are increasingly accurate but remain areas for development, along with assessment of science and ICT, which have begun only recently. 8 of 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 2009

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Grade: 3

The headteacher has rapidly shared with staff and parents a vision for improvement and built well on the progress made under the acting headteacher. She has successfully engendered a team spirit, in which staff work together towards shared goals. Morale is good. The headteacher and senior leaders have made an accurate evaluation of the school's provision and gained a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. They monitor teaching accurately and this has led to improvement. Governors and senior leaders have a clear view of progress against the school's action plan, but this plan is restricted to the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Initial discussions with staff, parents and pupils have formed the basis of the emerging school development plan, but there is no systematic cycle for monitoring, evaluating and planning or for evaluating the impact of interventions. The school's inclusive

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Grade: 3

ethos successfully supports pupils. The school is at an early stage of its work on promoting community cohesion across the three strands of faith, ethnicity and culture, and socio-economic circumstances. Its action plan is suitable for its pupils, to ensure they develop their experience of interacting with others from different backgrounds. Governors have good knowledge of the school and work closely with the headteacher and senior leaders. They have developed their role well. They use first-hand evidence, collected through observation and by speaking with pupils and staff, to support and challenge the school well. They monitor very closely the improvement on areas in the school's action plan. They keep a close eye on policies but there are some reporting requirements that are not fully in place. 9 of 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 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. 10 of 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 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?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 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 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. 11 of 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 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 3 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 3 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? 12 of 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

21 July 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Wingrave Church of England Combined School,Aylesbury,HP22 4QG Thank you very much for welcoming us so warmly when we visited your school and for telling us about it. We found that your school has improved and that your new headteacher and all of the staff are working successfully to make it even better. You enjoy coming to school and get on well with each other and the staff. You told us that you feel safe and we saw that your behaviour is good. You are keen to help out and join in with events, such as the local May Day celebrations. We have asked the school to give you more opportunities to get to know people who have different backgrounds. The staff look after you well and make sure you are safe. They give good support to those of you who need extra help. In your lessons you are making progress, but we think the staff could help you to do even better. We have asked the school to make sure that the work is hard enough for you and that

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you have enough time to do it in the lessons. We have also asked teachers to help you improve your writing more quickly. We saw that you have targets and sometimes make good assessments of whether you have met them. We have asked the school to help you do this more regularly so you can keep a careful track of your progress in English, mathematics, science and ICT. You can help out by trying hard to reach higher targets. We saw that you enjoy solving interesting problems in some lessons and learning to play African drums, but you need to do more activities like these. We have asked teachers to plan more links between subjects and more activities outside school or with visitors. We have asked the school to make sure it carefully plans how it will improve in all areas. You have already given some suggestions. You can continue to help out in this way and by thinking about how successful any changes are.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We wish you success at school and in helping the school to improve. Yours faithfully Gill Close Her Majesty's Inspector 13 of 13 Inspection Report: Wingrave Church of England Combined School, 9–10 July 2009

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