Setting

Mrs C Owen Headteacher Mobberley CofE Primary School Church Lane Mobberley Knutsford Cheshire WA16 7RA

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Ofsted survey inspection programme: English

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 29 June 2009 to look at work in English.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme: English

As outlined in my initial letter, as well as looking at key areas of the subject the visit included a focus on our current survey theme of spelling and handwriting. The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme: English

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with staff and pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and observation of three lessons. The overall effectiveness of English was judged to be good.

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Achievement and standards

Standards in English are above average. Achievement is good.

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Achievement and standards

 Standards dipped in 2008 but have recovered. In particular, the performance of the more able pupils is considerably higher this year in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.  Pupils make good overall progress in each key stage.  Standards are above average by the end of Reception, Year 2 and Year 6 and more securely so as pupils move up the school.  In Year 6, standards are above average in writing and well above average in reading. Pupils’ achievement in reading is extremely good. Standards of speaking and listening are also high.  Standards in writing have improved, reflecting developments in teaching and the curriculum in recent years. Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk  All groups of pupils make at least good progress but the less able boys have done particularly well in reading in Key Stage 2. This has had a positive effect on their confidence and self-esteem.

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Achievement and standards

 English makes a good contribution to pupils’ excellent personal development. Lessons provide good opportunities for pupils to work co-operatively and collaboratively and the good provision for drama and poetry contributes to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Quality of teaching and learning of English

The quality of teaching and learning of English is good.

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Quality of teaching and learning of English

 From the lessons seen, the school’s monitoring and its tracking of pupils’ progress, and examination of pupils’ work, it is evident that teaching is usually at least good and is sometimes of an outstanding quality.  Typically, very good management of pupils’ behaviour and excellent relationships result in purposeful and productive lessons.  When teaching was at its most effective, the lesson was very well-organised and expectations were high but achievable for all. Consequently, learning pushed along at a very good pace for all pupils.  When teaching did not hit these heights, it was down to a slower pace and, for a few pupils, less challenge.  The quality of marking varies. Some is very well linked to the learning objectives for the work in hand and gives precise pointers for improvement. Sometimes, however, the next steps are rather general and improvement points are not followed up.  Pupils’ excellent behaviour and attitudes support their learning very well. They

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Quality of teaching and learning of English

are attentive, normally get down to work with a will, and try their very best.

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Quality of curriculum

The quality of the curriculum in English is good.

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Quality of curriculum

 The curriculum is well-planned to secure coverage of all that is required and equal access for pupils of the same age in different classes.  The curriculum is enriched with visitors and visits but there are no extra- curricular clubs for English-related activities.  Links between English and other subjects are strong with very well-planned opportunities for pupils to use and develop speaking and listening and writing across subjects, often in imaginatively presented topic work.  There is a good range of interventions to support pupils who may be at risk of underachieving. These are tailored to individual pupils’ needs and have proved very effective.  Although pupils are competent and keen readers, there is little systematic guidance to widen and develop their independent reading.

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Leadership and management of English

Leadership and management of the provision in English are outstanding.

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Leadership and management of English

 There is a strong drive for excellence, with senior staff giving a very good lead on teaching and learning and the quality of curriculum.  A programme of rigorous monitoring and tracking of pupils’ progress ensures that the subject leader and headteacher have their fingers on the pulse of standards and pupils’ achievement, and a clear picture of the strengths and areas for development in teaching.  The measures taken to improve pupils’ achievement have been effective and there are good plans for further development of the subject.  Staff benefit from a good amount of additional training both in-house and from external providers and they are a skilled team.

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Spelling and handwriting

 Pupils reach above average standards in spelling and handwriting. In handwriting standards are particularly good and the vast majority of pupils develop an even and fluent cursive style.  Spelling is taught systematically with good attention to phonics and spelling rules as well as helping pupils develop a range of strategies for remembering irregular words.  The teaching of handwriting is very effective with a consistent approach throughout the school. Teachers know the progression and standards expected and pupils are proud of their handwriting.  The school’s handwriting competition gives this skill a high profile in school and promotes pupils’ positive attitudes very successfully.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 further extending standards and achievement in writing by consolidating and building on the improvement seen this year  strengthening teaching so that more is of the quality of the most effective.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop English in the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

As I explained in my previous letter, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half-term and made available to the team for the next institutional inspection.

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