Ibstone CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that teaching provides robust challenge for the most able pupils so they achieve the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Continue to develop middle leaders’ skills and knowledge so they can drive improvements in their areas of responsibility.
• Ensure that the curriculum for Years 5 and 6 provides the same high-quality opportunities as experienced by younger pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher works collaboratively with staff and governors to ensure that everybody involved in the school has the highest expectations for what pupils can achieve. Parents rightly have faith in school leaders. One parent commented: ‘The leadership at Ibstone is one that I have never experienced before at any educational facility. It is one that completely fills a parent with confidence that their child will be cared for and encouraged to flourish, both educationally and socially.’
• The school’s strong Christian ethos and core values of love, courage, respect, community and perseverance underpin the way in which leaders and staff work with pupils, and encourage pupils to work with each other. These values are so embedded within pupils’ understanding that they are used as points of reference for the way in which pupils behave, work and reflect on their learning.
• The headteacher works closely with staff to develop effective teaching. Monitoring of teaching is accurate. Teachers share best practice across year groups. There is continual professional dialogue between staff that focuses on how to help individual pupils improve their learning further. Teachers thrive on this approach and continually seek to improve their practice.
• The headteacher holds all members of staff to account for the outcomes of pupils in their class. Regular meetings with individual teachers are held to discuss the progress pupils are making, to ensure that no pupil falls behind.
• The headteacher is sensibly building capacity in leadership. The increasing size of the school has enabled the headteacher to be more systematic in her approach to the development of middle leaders. They are now monitoring planning, scrutinising pupils’ work in their books and planning improvements. However, there is more to do to ensure that these leaders have the skills and knowledge to drive improvements in their areas of responsibility.
• The school delivers a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils well. Topics, such as ‘Egyptian Times’ and ‘World War I’, are planned with a considerable amount of input from the pupils, who identify what they already know and what they want to know more about. Pupils particularly like the work they do in history and geography, and say music and art feature strongly in their learning. They like the varied opportunities, such as karate and sewing that take place after school, and visits, such as that of the veteran who spoke about the sacrifice people made during the Second World War. One Year 4 pupil commented, ‘We should be thankful for those people who gave their lives for us.’
• Leaders’ work to extend the curriculum in readiness for pupils moving through to Years 5 and 6 is appropriate. Subjects, such as computing and design technology, are being developed to ensure that pupils’ learning needs are met well. However, this work is at an early stage. Leaders rightly recognise this is a priority to ensure that older pupils benefit from the same high-quality curriculum that the younger pupils currently do.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are taught well. Although few in number, these pupils receive the individual support they require to ensure that they make the same good progress as others.
• The additional government funding to develop sport is used effectively. Qualified coaches work alongside teachers to deliver lessons. These provide both good learning experiences for the pupils and high-quality professional development for staff, as an ongoing legacy of the funding. Pupils appreciate the opportunities the funding has provided, such as an after-school golf club and the new sports equipment for lunchtimes and clubs.
• Opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are plentiful. Pupils who are ‘Worship’ leaders provide strong role models for other pupils. They regularly lead worship and set the example for how to pray. Pupils demonstrate their high moral code, reflecting the school’s values. This is seen in the way they show respect for one another. The school makes the most of opportunities to celebrate other cultures and faiths. For example, non-Christian people within the community talk about their faith journey and pupils are encouraged to explore ideas by asking questions.

Governance of the school

• Governors provide good support and challenge for the headteacher and staff. They also provide effective practical support for the school, undertaking some necessary day-to- day activities. For example, on the day of the inspection, governors cleared the snow so pupils would be safe on their way into class. Governors work closely with the Diocese of Oxford to improve their skills. They recognise the challenges presented by the increasing size and age range of the school.
• Governors are appropriately involved in managing the performance of staff. They ensure that targets focus on improving pupils’ progress and developing leadership skills.
• Governors keep a careful check on the school’s finances. They plan ahead so that the changes in staffing and numbers of pupils do not lead to financial imbalance. They also ensure that the pupil premium is used well to strengthen the progress of disadvantaged pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a very strong culture of safeguarding in the school. The training that all staff and governors receive is timely and appropriate. It ensures that they have a thorough understanding of the signs and symptoms that could indicate a child protection issue. As a result, staff are clear and confident about what to do, should the need arise.
• Safeguarding procedures are robust and reviewed regularly. The school maintains meticulous records, showing a clear chronology for all contact, actions and outcomes. All records are securely stored.
• All appropriate safer-recruitment procedures are undertaken. There are excellent procedures in place to ensure that the single central register is compliant, with regular checks carried out by governors.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers know their pupils very well and plan interesting lessons and activities that stimulate pupils’ interest. Teachers have good subject knowledge. They reshape and change lessons so that, if pupils are struggling to understand a concept, they can see it represented it in an alternative way.
• Teachers generally use assessment effectively, planning tasks and activities that build upon what pupils already know and understand. As a result, pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, there are occasions when tasks and activities are not challenging enough to stretch the most able pupils. When this happens, their progress slows and, over time, they do not reach the standards of which they are capable.
• Reading is a strength of the school. The systematic approach to phonics in the early years is successfully built upon in later years and pupils develop a love for books. Teachers encourage resilience in reading to develop their confidence. A consistent feature of pupils’ reading is their ability to confidently self-correct. Older pupils develop their skills of comprehension and inference. Work seen in pupils’ books shows that this is having a very positive effect and is helping pupils to make strong progress.
• The teaching of writing is improving. Teachers provide pupils with practical tasks to make their writing relevant and purposeful. Teachers rightly focus on developing pupils’ vocabulary and their use of more complex sentence structure. While there is still work to do, there are encouraging signs that pupils are making stronger progress, illustrated by their work in books.
• In mathematics, number is well taught and pupils have a good understanding of how to manipulate number. Teachers focus on very small steps to make sure that pupils understand concepts before they move on. Pupils have a developing understanding of shape. The basics are taught well and there are good opportunities for pupils to handle data in tables and graphs. Teachers are beginning to provide open-ended, problem-solving activities. These are particularly aimed at challenging the most able pupils to use their good number skills in unfamiliar contexts and deepen their understanding.
• Pupils enjoy learning and confidently contribute in lessons. Pupils are given opportunities to discuss their work and thinking, and this helps them with their understanding. In a mathematics lesson, when asked what they were discussing, one pupil commented: ‘We are deciding the best way to record the measurement of the objects we are going to be measuring.’
• Teaching assistants are deployed effectively to support those pupils who find learning more difficult. They work closely with teachers to ensure that pupils who need extra help or encouragement make the same good progress as their peers.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. From the time children join the school in Reception, they are nurtured and cared for exceptionally well. This is universally endorsed by parents, who both appreciate and acknowledge how lucky they feel to be part of the ‘Ibstone family’. One parent made the following observation: ‘You are just filled with confidence when the children start school. They are exceptionally well cared for every day, every year.’
• Pupils develop extremely good attitudes to their learning. Their focus on core values, such as perseverance, are reflected in their ‘have a go’ attitude. They have a deep and firmly embedded understanding of right and wrong. They show high levels of care and sensitivity towards one another. A recurring feature, observed when visiting lessons, was the extent to which pupils help one another with their learning, unprompted and without direction from the teacher.
• Pupils have the opportunity to take up roles and responsibilities that have real prominence and impact in the school, such as worship leaders and playground friends. Younger children look up to these pupils and aspire to take up these roles in the future.
• Pupils, without exception, say that they feel safe at school, and parents and staff strongly agree. Pupils have a very good understanding of how to stay safe when working online. They know that this is not just protecting their personal information but that whenever they have a concern, they should seek advice. One pupil illustrated this deep level of understanding, saying: ‘You should check with your family or teachers if you are ever unsure, to make sure you are safe.’
• Pupils know how to stay healthy and fit, by eating the right foods and taking exercise. They talked about the importance of keeping hydrated and why it is important to say something if you are worried, so that you keep your ‘brain fit’.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils have excellent manners, are polite at all times and do everything they can to make visitors feel welcome, embodying the school’s values of respect and community. They have an astute understanding that their good behaviour helps them to learn better. Additionally, they recognise that poor behaviour not only decreases their ability to learn but also that of their friends.
• All parents who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire, Parent View, and all pupils and all staff agree that behaviour is excellent. There were no recorded instances of bullying and this was confirmed by pupils and their parents.
• Behaviour in lessons was never less than excellent. Pupils enjoy coming to school. This is reflected in the increased levels of attendance that now match the national average. Pupils learn in an environment free from prejudice and intolerance. Their behaviour and outlook mirror the values they learn at school. These values help them to have a firm understanding of British values, such as democracy and the rule of law.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In 2018, at the end of key stage 1, pupils’ attainment of the expected standard in reading and writing was close to the national averages. Although mathematics was below, evidence provided by the school, confirmed by work seen in pupil’s books, shows that progress and attainment in mathematics are steadily improving.
• The number of pupils gaining a good level of development in Reception and achieving the expected standard in the phonics screening check has risen over the past three years. Both are now in line with the national averages for these measures.
• The small proportions of disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because teachers work closely with teaching assistants to provide well-planned support which ensures that these pupils do not fall behind.
• Pupils in Years 3 and 4 are making good progress across the curriculum, building well on the standards achieved in Year 2. The high standards of work seen in English and mathematics are replicated in other subjects, such as history, geography and science.
• The challenge provided for the most able pupils is improving and is a priority for all teachers. However, although some of these pupils are making very good progress, this is not consistent.
• Pupils achieve well in music and art. This reflects the very high-quality teaching in these subjects, which pupils appreciate and enjoy.

Early years provision Good

• Children entering Reception receive a very high standard of care and nurture, in line with the rest of the school. Teachers and support staff ensure that children’s first experience of school is positive. Children feel secure, confident, happy and ready to learn. One of the many positive comments from parents was: ‘They make every child feel so special. After the first day, I had no worries and haven’t had any since. It’s just fantastic what they do.’ This illustrates the very high regard parents have for the Reception staff.
• There are good induction procedures prior to children starting school. These include home visits and stay-and-play sessions. These successfully build relationships and start the process of helping children to feel comfortable with their new surroundings. Consistent routines help children to settle and they quickly form strong relationships.
• Teaching is good. Teachers plan topics, starting with the interests of the children and what they would like to learn. These broad topics are then planned to cover all the elements of the early years’ curriculum. As a result, teaching captures the imagination of the children and they want to learn. Adults change the activities to suit the needs of individual children. This was seen when two children were re-enacting the story of ‘Jack and the beanstalk’. They could act out the series of events perfectly and did so in character.
• There is a good balance between teacher-led activities and those which children choose independently. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their early writing skills, developing letter formation and the writing of words as they build up to writing sentences. In mathematics, children have many practical opportunities to discover number and shape. One child, who was writing the number three, in chalk on the playground, did so repeatedly until he got it just right. Perseverance, one of the school’s core values, is reinforced at an early age.
• Shared leadership is effective and the whole Reception team work closely to develop the setting. They have benefited from training provided by the Buckinghamshire early years team. This has focused on the use of the outside area and the development of appropriate high-quality opportunities for children to independently play and discover. When children are working independently, adults ask questions to move learning on.
• Behaviour is excellent and children have very positive attitudes to their learning. They treat one another with kindness and play together very well. They undertake tasks with concentration and, like other pupils in the school, develop the ‘have a go’ mindset. One child was building up to making a challenging jump. Once he succeeded, his teacher gave him a sticker and congratulated him on living out the school’s value of courage.
• The setting is safe and secure. All adults are well trained in all aspects of safeguarding. All early years welfare requirements are fully met and the school has two qualified paediatric first aiders.

School details

Unique reference number 110464 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 10088073 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 46 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Ben Randall Louise Long Telephone number 01491 638281 Website Email address www.ibstoneschool.org.uk office@ibstone.bucks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection

3–4 December 2013

Information about this school

• Since the previous inspection in December 2013, the school has changed from an infant to a primary school. Currently, there are no pupils in Years 5 and 6. By September 2020, there will be pupils in all year groups.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• There is a Reception class, a mixed Years 1 and 2 class, and a mixed Years 3 and 4 class.
• The vast majority of pupils are White British.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is below average. There is a small number of pupils with education, health and care plans.
• The schools last Section 48 inspection was carried out in July 2016 when the school was judged to be outstanding. The school receives minimum, light touch support from the local authority.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector visited lessons in all year groups, accompanied by the headteacher, to observe pupils learning.
• Discussions were held with the headteacher, members of staff, pupils and a group of parents. A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority, in addition to a meeting with a representative from the Diocese of Oxford.
• The inspector examined a wide range of documentation, including: records relating to pupils’ attendance and behaviour; school improvement planning; assessment information; records of the monitoring of teaching; minutes of the governing body’s meetings; the local authority’s reports; and policies relating to safeguarding.
• The inspector listened to pupils read from Years 2 and 4, and met formally with a group of pupils to discuss their learning, behaviour and safety. The inspector evaluated pupils’ books, displays of work and the school’s assessments of the progress made by pupils.
• The inspector took account of the views of parents and carers through 18 responses to the online survey, Parent View, including 13 free-text comments, one letter and a meeting with a group of six parents.
• Five responses to the Ofsted pupil questionnaire and six responses to the staff survey were also considered.

Inspection team

Bill James, lead inspector

Ofsted Inspector