Guilden Sutton CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders should provide further opportunities for pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding of the traditions and customs of wider world cultures.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher is unwavering in her determination to achieve the very best for pupils. She has developed a culture where all staff know pupils and their families very well and use this knowledge to secure the best possible support. She has created an aspirational environment for learning, where pupils and staff constantly aim high and are not afraid to make mistakes. Consequently, the school caters exceptionally well for pupils’ academic development and for their social and emotional well-being.
• The headteacher, the deputy headteacher and senior teacher make an excellent leadership team. They are forward-thinking and have a constant focus on improvement. Concerted action to address any area identified for improvement has ensured that the pupils currently in school are making exceptional progress across a wide range of subjects.
• Senior leaders’ and governors’ insightful self-evaluation is comprehensive and accurate. It is based on detailed analysis of data, scrutiny of work in pupils’ books, extra information from subject leaders and survey findings from parents and pupils. Consequently, leaders know what the school does well and what it needs to do to maintain and improve further its excellent standard of education. Leaders’ actions have resulted in outstanding provision for all pupils, including the few who are eligible for the pupil premium funding and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Performance management of staff and leaders is robust and fair. Staff development is given a high priority. As a result, staff feel extremely well supported and morale is very high. Teachers are encouraged to try out new ideas and are trusted to use their professionalism to improve their practice.Leaders and governors have exceptionally strong procedures in place to monitor the impact of the primary sport funding. They ensure that pupils benefit from high-quality physical education sessions and a varied range of additional sporting opportunities.
• Procedures to monitor the impact of the pupil premium funding are equally robust and focus on the specific barriers to learning and the needs of the individual pupils concerned. ‘Pupil passports’ are written to record the specific needs of each pupil and the additional teaching support required to meet these identified needs. This approach ensures that the support for disadvantaged pupils is well targeted and results in outstanding progress from the pupils’ starting points.
• The carefully planned curriculum contributes exceptionally well to pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and to the promotion of British values. Pupils are given regular opportunities to discuss and debate issues that matter to them. Visits and visitors to school give pupils opportunities to make meaningful links between the curriculum and their own lives. However, while the curriculum is designed to provide excellent opportunities to learn about different religions, it provides fewer opportunities to study the traditions and customs of wider world cultures.
• A wide variety of extra-curricular clubs and activities enrich the curriculum. Pupils in Year 4 spoke enthusiastically about their very recent residential visit and the outdoor and adventurous activities they had undertaken. Other pupils enjoy sporting and other activities with local primary schools.
• Provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is very effective. The new leader with responsibility for this area, who is also the deputy headteacher, has quickly developed a clear picture of pupils’ specific needs. She closely tracks their progress and development and ensures that they receive the support that they need. This support is highly effective and contributes to pupils’ very strong progress, confirming that the school makes excellent use of the additional funding it receives to support these pupils.

Governance of the school

• Governance is highly effective. Governors are very ambitious for the school. They share leaders’ determination to secure further improvements. Governors receive high-quality information from all leaders about the work of the school and, in particular, about pupils’ achievements.
• Governors have a good range of skills and experiences. They are a reflective and forward-thinking group who have the pupils’ best interests firmly at the centre of their work.
• Governors have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school and areas for further improvement. This is as a result of leaders’ clear plans for future development. Governors use their skills and knowledge to challenge leaders rigorously to ensure the best outcomes for pupils.
• Governors use the learning from their own training and discussions with school leaders effectively. They are regular visitors to the school and have worked hard to raise their profile with members of the school community.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school has a strong culture of safeguarding because staff are vigilant in ensuring that pupils are safe and well cared for. They receive training on all aspects of safeguarding and child protection. As a result, staff have a clear understanding of the procedures to follow if they are concerned about a pupil’s welfare.
• The designated leader for safeguarding keeps meticulous records and ensures that staff follow up any concerns rigorously. The school has established strong and effective partnerships with external agencies and parents.
• Thorough checks of staff, governors and volunteers on appointment to the school ensure that they are suitable people to work with pupils. The school maintains appropriately detailed records of these checks. The school’s recruitment procedures are robust and comprehensive.
• Leaders and governors ensure that the school building is well maintained and that the site is safe and secure. Pupils are involved in the risk assessment of new playground equipment, giving them an excellent understanding of how to use it safely.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• In all year groups, teaching is excellent. Teachers and teaching assistants display energy and passion for learning. Their infectious attitude creates a positive learning atmosphere for pupils, who consequently thrive under their guidance.
• Teachers and other adults have established excellent relationships with all pupils that set the basis for the positive learning atmosphere. Teachers’ explanations of new and challenging concepts are clear. They pre-empt potential misconceptions skilfully and, where necessary, teaching assistants provide the appropriate additional support to those pupils who need it. This enables all pupils to make rapid gains in their learning.
• Teachers’ use of assessment is a key characteristic of the outstanding teaching. In every class, staff ensure that pupils’ work builds on prior learning. Teachers intervene with clarity during lessons, either by providing consolidation for pupils or by providing more challenging work. Teachers’ questioning is precise. It encourages pupils to think for themselves and to solve problems. As a result, pupils are deeply involved in the learning process.
• The teaching of mathematics is highly effective. Pupils systematically learn key mathematical concepts and then use their knowledge to tackle well-thought-out written problems. Teachers provide clear explanations and set work that is appropriately challenging, so that pupils are able to pick up new concepts swiftly. Pupils’ discussions of problems and challenges demonstrate the depth of their mathematical knowledge and understanding. For example, in Year 3 pupils shared the possibility of using inverse operations to check whether their answers were correct.
• Excellent teaching enables pupils to make very strong progress in phonics. Teachers ensure that work is carefully matched to pupils’ needs. As a result, pupils in key stage 1 confidently use their phonic knowledge to tackle unfamiliar words when they are reading. Reading is promoted well throughout the school. Consequently, older pupils are able to discuss their reading likes and dislikes thoughtfully, identifying favourite authors and books. School assessment data shows that pupils in all year groups make excellent progress in reading.
• Writing is taught extremely well. Teachers ensure that pupils gain a secure grasp of key writing skills and techniques and then they provide pupils with an excellent range of opportunities to practise and refine these skills. Pupils in Year 5 write with evocative description. ‘Dusk was removing the daylight sky’ is a typical example of the atmosphere pupils are able to create in their writing. As a result of effective teaching, by the end of key stage 2, pupils are able to write with skill and maturity in a range of forms.
• Teaching assistants provide outstanding support for learning, working very well in partnership with teachers. They have a very good understanding of the specific needs of the pupils with whom they are working, particularly those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or who need extra help to catch up.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are highly confident and self-assured learners. They are proud of their school and of their achievements. Pupils speak very positively about their experiences in the school. They speak confidently about the broad range of activities and additional opportunities they receive. Parents state that their children are exceptionally well prepared for their future education at high school.
• Pupils are supported very well by adults and have high aspirations for their future lives. Adults show a high level of respect for pupils. They develop warm and positive relationships. As a result, pupils trust and respect adults in the school. They feel they can go to an adult if they are concerned about anything and know help will be available. Pupils state that adults support them well with their work but add that they ‘help without giving you the answer’.
• Leaders have ensured that pupils share a clear understanding of what it means to be a successful learner. Pupils are encouraged to be positive when approaching a challenge and are resilient when they find things difficult, persevering until they find the solution. As a result, pupils are confident, articulate and independent learners.
• Mutual respect and care are evident across the school. Pupils are extremely polite and well mannered. Inspectors observed very courteous and friendly behaviour. Pupils walk around school in an orderly manner and show impressive respect during assembly.
• The Year 6 pupils willingly act as ‘buddies’ to children in the Reception Year and relish the responsibility of this role. Their letters, written before the younger children arrive at school, demonstrate the considerate and caring nature which is nurtured in pupils at this school.
• Pupils trust the adults in the school to keep them safe. They say that bullying is very rare, but they know what to do if they see it taking place or if it happens to them. Staff provide frequent opportunities for pupils to learn about safety. Pupils can talk confidently about how they stay safe online and when they are out of school on trips or residential visits.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary around the school and in lessons. This is true for all groups of pupils. The school is calm and purposeful, with a ‘buzz’ of learning underpinned by very high levels of cooperation between pupils and adults.
• Pupils get on very well together, showing a high degree of respect for each other and adults. They are keen to live up to adults’ high expectations. Disruptive behaviour is exceptionally rare. Staff manage behaviour in class with skill and sensitivity. Consequently, lessons flow effortlessly.
• Attendance is above average and there are no differences in attendance between key groups of pupils. This demonstrates how much pupils enjoy coming to school. A typical comment was: ‘My children absolutely love coming to school each day.’

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils make outstanding progress from their different starting points during their time at Guilden Sutton. By the time they leave key stage 2, they consistently reach standards of attainment that are well above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils’ high levels of achievement confirm that they are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• In 2017, the school’s assessment information, national test results and the work in pupils’ books show that in every year group the proportion of pupils working at, or above, the expectations for their age is very high across the school and continues to increase. This shows that pupils make outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics and in work across a wide range of subjects, including computing. This was exemplified during a lesson in Year 4, where pupils were using technology to write commands to direct a ball around an obstacle course.
• Pupils consistently make excellent progress in phonics. The proportion reaching the expected levels in the Year 1 phonics check continues to increase and is typically above the national average. Teachers and teaching assistants have excellent phonic knowledge and younger pupils use their own knowledge of phonics to help them work out difficult words in their reading.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive high-quality teaching in class and through additional support. Systems used to identify pupils are robust and, as a result, they make excellent progress from their starting points.
• There are only a small number of disadvantaged pupils currently in the school. Their progress and attainment are typically better than that of other pupils nationally. This confirms that the school uses its pupil premium funding extremely well to provide additional support for disadvantaged pupils where it is needed. Leaders also ensure that these pupils are able to access all of the activities that the school offers
• The most able pupils make strong progress because teachers plan work that challenges this group. Assessment information and the work in pupils’ books show that more pupils are achieving a higher standard than in previous years.

Early years provision Good

• Leaders and teachers know the strengths in the early years provision. They are also acutely aware of the areas that need further development. These relative weaknesses are being tackled with determination and vigour. There are early signs of success. Teaching in the Reception class has recently improved and there is even better provision to ensure that children get off to a strong start in the school. Teachers and leaders have high expectations for children’s academic and personal development. However, it is too soon to see the sustained impact of leaders’ recent actions to improve this area of the school.
• Safeguarding and welfare requirements are effective in ensuring that children feel safe and are kept safe. Child protection policies and procedures are well understood by all staff. Children behave well.
• Teaching in the early years is good. Staff have a clear understanding of children’s needs and plan interesting activities to meet them. For example, work in children’s books from last year shows that a range of activities, including those undertaken outside the classroom, gave children many learning opportunities, particularly in writing.
• Although the children had only been in school full time for two days before the inspection, they played well together in pairs, small groups or individually. Child-initiated activities were closely monitored by staff, who sometimes joined in to develop learning further. For example, when children were creating a jail out of boxes, the adult asked questions to encourage the children to create bars at the windows.
• Children are keen to talk about their activities and what they are learning. They are confident and articulate. They say that they enjoy their learning.
• The school’s assessment information indicates that the majority of children usually enter the early years with skills and knowledge that are broadly typical for their age. In 2017, more children than the national average reached a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year. They made good progress from their starting points and were well prepared for Year 1.
• Leaders track individual children’s progress and target additional support when necessary. This contributed to the strong outcomes last year. Information about children’s progress in phonics shows that the vast majority of individual children and groups of children make good progress in this area of learning. Leaders use the additional funding well to improve the progress of disadvantaged children.
• Indoor and outdoor resources and areas are well organised and stimulating. These enhance learning. Good use is made of space and children move freely between areas.
• Leaders have established good links with parents. This ensures that children experience a smooth transition into the early years provision. There is good liaison with the pre-school from which the majority of children transfer.
• Staff have received excellent professional development and training relevant to their new roles. They reflect on how the early years provision can be further developed and take effective action to improve it. Staff continue to work to create greater opportunities for number and language development and to improve the outcomes for the most able children.

School details

Unique reference number 111273 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 10036648 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary controlled 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Revd Dr Mark Hart Miss Kathy Crowe Telephone number 01244 300353 Website Email address www.guildensutton.cheshire.sch.uk head@guildensutton.cheshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 10–11 June 2014

Information about this school

• Guilden Sutton Church of England Primary School is an average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well below average, as is the number of disadvantaged pupils.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average, as is the number of pupils with an education, health and care plan.
• The early years provision comprises a Reception class.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for the attainment and progress of pupils in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning throughout the school. Some learning walks were carried out jointly with the headteacher.
• Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work in their current books as well as books from last year.
• The inspectors listened to pupils read.
• Inspectors met with pupils, formally and informally, to listen to their views.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and senior leadership team, the school’s special needs coordinator, the Reception class teacher and teaching assistant, the governing body and a representative of the local authority.
• The inspection team scrutinised a wide range of documentation that covered information about pupils’ attainment and progress, the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan and minutes of meetings. The team also looked at records relating to teaching and learning, pupils’ attendance and behaviour and safeguarding pupils. A scrutiny of the website was also undertaken.
• The inspectors considered the views expressed by parents and others connected to the school. This included the 93 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as comments received via the free-text facility on Parent View. The inspectors also took into account the 21 responses to the staff questionnaire and the 80 responses to the pupil questionnaire.

Inspection team

Ian Shackleton, lead inspector Vanessa MacDonald Stephen Rigby

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector