NATIONAL AVG.
2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(19/04/2023)
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School Description
The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have led the school with positivity, empathy and care since 2010. In the last two years you have strengthened your leadership team, who are determined, capable and increasingly effective. Staff, governors and parents have confidence in the school’s leadership. As one parent said, ‘The headteacher is very approachable, makes himself available to parents and carers, and addresses any concerns.’ Pupils present as happy, eager individuals who enjoy learning and behave well. Pupils play together excitedly at playtimes and work cooperatively during lessons. The school environment is bright and cheerful, with British and Christian values shining throughout school. For example, the ‘happy club’ recently visited the local church to share the things of which they are proud. The school’s strong links with the British armed forces are celebrated, for example, through a recent project where pupils were invited to share pictures of family members who serve in the armed forces. One pupil touchingly drew a picture of a parent in uniform with the caption, ‘My mummy saves the world.’ Collective worship is also a key feature of the school and valued by all as a special time to come together to exemplify the school’s Christian values of ‘love, trust, truth’. Through such opportunities your school is developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding very well. Since the last inspection there have been some changes in staffing, with several long-serving staff retiring. You have overseen the changes well. New staff say that they feel very welcome, commenting on the family atmosphere of the school and the dedication of your team to ensure that pupils are happy and learning. This results in a harmonious community, which is also reflected in the positive relationships between staff and pupils. Parents recognise and praise teachers’ hard work, several commenting that staff have gone out of their way to help their child settle in to school. One summed up the views of many: ‘Staff build good relationships with the children. My child has flourished and loves going to school.’ Since the last inspection, pupils have continued to make good progress across a broad range of subjects. A higher than average proportion of children consistently achieve a good level of development by the end of their time in the early years. Similarly, an above-average proportion of pupils reach the standard of the phonics screening check by the end of Year 1. Over time, most pupils achieve expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 1. In 2016, there was a slight dip in standards at the end of key stage 1. Ably assisted by your deputy headteacher, and with valuable support from the local authority, you responded to this well so that the quality of teaching improved. Consequently standards throughout key stage 1 have risen since 2016, particularly in reading. In 2017, an above-average proportion of pupils achieved the expected and greater depth standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Most disadvantaged pupils achieve standards similar to others nationally, and an increasing proportion achieve the greater depth standard. However, you recognise that there is more to be done to accelerate pupils’ progress throughout their time in school, so that a higher percentage reach the greater depth standard. Leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for further development. Governors have a broad range of skills which they use well to support and challenge leaders to evaluate and improve the school constantly. As a result, the improvements requested at the last Ofsted inspection have been largely achieved, as teaching considers pupils’ individual starting points and needs more carefully. Pupils are clear also on how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. Your plans for the future are well judged and under way, including the need to raise expectations of what pupils can achieve in each year group, and to ensure that pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable achieve well. During the inspection, it also became clear that the school’s efforts to highlight the importance of regular attendance with parents continue to be a priority. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and that there is a strong safeguarding culture in the school. You have made sure that recruitment procedures and checks on adults working and volunteering in the school are robust and thorough. Staff are well trained in child protection procedures. They know the signs to look out for that may indicate that a child needs help. Records show that they report concerns promptly and fully. You liaise well with external agencies when appropriate, so that pupils get the extra care that they need. Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They say that bullying is rare and there is always an adult to talk to if they are concerned about anything. The curriculum includes frequent opportunities for pupils to consider how to keep safe, including through practising fire drills and understanding road safety and e-safety. Parents agree, praising particularly how effective staff are at helping to sort any issues where a child may be upset or need help. Inspection findings During this inspection my focus areas were: how well leaders have improved the quality of teaching, including to ensure that vulnerable pupils make good progress; whether leaders are ensuring that most-able pupils make good progress; how well leaders are improving attendance; and how effectively the school teaches writing, particularly to boys. After a dip in standards in 2016, leaders reassessed their expectations of teaching. The resulting positive culture among staff enables them to work together effectively and seek to improve their professional practice continuously. Staff value the opportunities to research and share the best practice, particularly through the training and support provided by the local authority and deputy headteacher. Staff now have better ownership of pupils’ progress information, which they use to plan learning that challenges pupils to progress more effectively. Your new middle leaders are monitoring the effectiveness of teaching increasingly well, providing an additional layer of support and scrutiny. Consequently, teaching has improved rapidly. Teaching is increasingly well organised, with learning opportunities which interest pupils and help them to make good progress across a broad range of subjects. Teachers know pupils well and now have a better understanding of the progress they should be making throughout their time in school. The initial impact of these changes has been seen in the 2017 key stage 1 results, where pupils’ rates of progress improved, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and in reading. Rightly, you are now consolidating these changes to ensure that teaching is consistently strong and effective throughout the school. You have re-evaluated the use of teaching assistants, changing how they work so that they now have a greater impact on pupils’ progress, particularly for those pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable. You have, wisely, ensured that your register of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities more accurately reflects pupils’ different needs, so that more precise and effective support can be provided. You regularly review the effectiveness of additional support, so that you are sure that funding is being used where it has the most impact on pupils’ outcomes. Teaching assistants say that they feel valued as part of the team. Communication between staff has improved and there is now a shared understanding of how everyone’s work plays a valuable part in all pupils making good progress. The progress of current pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities has improved as a result of your work.