Crudwell CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by:
  • raising the expectation of the presentation of pupils’ work
  • improving the quality of pupils’ handwriting across the school.
• Ensure that any remaining weaknesses in progress for pupils in any year groups are diminished so that:
  • the most able children in Reception reach higher standards by Year 1
  • the most able pupils make at least good progress from their individual starting points, particularly in reading and in mathematics.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher is rightly very highly regarded by the whole school community. Through the school’s vision of ‘learn, create, laugh, grow’, she encourages everyone to achieve the best they possibly can. She ensures that pupils have a wide range of opportunities both inside and outside school that contribute to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, preparing them well for their future. For example, there is a well-established link with a school in the Czech Republic.
• Governors are highly skilled and experienced. They support developments in the school, effectively providing support as well as challenge to leaders. Governors are outward looking and committed to ensuring that this small village school continues to thrive.
• There have been a number of recent staff changes and a strength of the headteacher is the way she ensures that staff receive high-quality professional development. She works in close partnership with a local group of schools. This collaborative working supports improvements to the quality of teaching and learning as seen, for example, in recent changes to the teaching of mathematics.
• The headteacher is committed to all pupils making the best possible progress and robustly holds teachers to account for the progress their pupils make.
• Strong leadership is provided by subject leaders and, together with the headteacher, they are a cohesive team. They are passionate about achieving the very best outcomes for pupils. These subject leaders are skilled at checking on the impact of their work through looking at pupils’ books and frequent discussions with staff and pupils. Leaders are driven to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning continues to move forward. For example, the leader for mathematics has led considerable improvement in the quality of teaching across the school in mathematics. The leader for English has accurately identified that pupils’ handwriting and presentation in their books are areas that need further work. The leader for special educational needs ensures that pupils identified as needing extra teaching or different resources to support their learning receive the additional help they need. Leaders know pupils well and they review their progress effectively.
• The curriculum is organised into themes that link learning across the curriculum, and provides stimulating, interesting areas for pupils to investigate and explore. Pupils really enjoy their learning here and they see a purpose to the skills they are learning. Visits to special places in the area inspire pupils to learn more about the themes. In one class, pupils designed and made their own clothes, which they showed to parents at an assembly. Learning is extended beyond the school day through a wide variety of clubs, including those for French and German, problem-solving in maths, performing arts and ‘roaring rugby’.
• Additional funding is used carefully to ensure that pupils who are disadvantaged have extra support to help them take part in a wide range of additional activities. These pupils also receive extra learning resources to support their progress and additional teaching when it is needed. Leaders use additional funding for sports well to ensure that pupils have access to a wide variety of sports activities during and after school. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, speak enthusiastically about the range of sports in which they participate. Sport is also taken to a competitive level and pupils have received success in hockey at county team level.
• The school receives visits from a local authority education adviser who supports leaders in their evaluation of the school’s performance. Leaders and governors appreciate this external view.

Governance of the school

• Governors are determined that the school continues to thrive. They use their wide range of skills well, but also seek out new governors who have the specific skills needed to tackle areas for development. Governors check that their training is comprehensive and up to date. They also collaborate with other governing bodies, such as those in the local cluster of schools in order to share best practice.
• Each school term there is a governor focus week. During these focus weeks, governors visit the school and meet with staff, look at pupils’ work around the school and talk to pupils. As a result of these regular activities, governors know the school well.
• Governors provide in-depth challenge to leaders about the progress pupils make. They understand the current priorities for the school and they ensure that resources are used wisely to support these.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff know pupils extremely well and they report any concerns they may have quickly. They have received a wide range of training on the main aspects of safeguarding and they are regularly updated with the latest advice.
• Pupils say that they feel safe and they know whom they are able to turn to in school should they need extra advice or help. The school provides opportunities for older pupils to have responsibilities in order to help others feel safe. ‘Stay safe mentors’ receive training in order to be able to spot and help anyone who is worried or unhappy during playtimes. Pupils welcome this extra care and older pupils enjoy the extra responsibility.
• Parents agree that their children are safe in school. They are very appreciative of the care and guidance provided by the school, particularly when families have additional pressures or difficulties. Leaders are quick to secure external help and advice at these times.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers have good subject knowledge, particularly in English and mathematics. They contribute their different areas of expertise well to support learning across the school. Teachers know their pupils’ learning needs very well and this helps teachers to develop and deepen pupils’ understanding throughout lessons.
• Teaching assistants make a significant contribution to pupils’ progress and are skilled in ensuring that pupils do not become over-reliant upon the extra help they provide.
• Homework is set regularly and contributes well to pupils’ understanding. Most pupils enjoy these extra activities.
• The culture of reading is strong; pupils really enjoy their reading and read widely. Booklists for each year group help pupils to choose appropriate reading material for their age. However, the most able pupils are not challenged to develop their deeper understanding of texts. Leaders have identified this and there is a programme in place to develop teachers’ knowledge of how to teach inference skills.
• In mathematics, a programme of professional development has ensured that teachers are able to challenge pupils to apply the skills they have learned. Pupils frequently tackle problem-solving activities as part of their learning in mathematics.
• Teachers plan writing activities effectively. Pupils often write at length in order to develop their writing skills further. Real reasons for writing are also planned, often as part of writing in another subject area. This motivates pupils to write.
• The presentation in pupils’ books does not always represent the pride pupils have in their work. Teachers do not show pupils what joined, neat handwriting looks like often enough. There are not consistently high expectations of handwriting and presentation across the school. As a result, some pupils are not sure about how to present their work well or how to write in a joined, neat way.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. The school provides a solid foundation in values such as respect, responsibility and perseverance alongside a commitment to creativity and teamwork. Pupils are extremely confident and self-assured and they have high aspirations for themselves. They have excellent attitudes towards their learning and are motivated to succeed. They believe in themselves.
• Pupils also learn in school to care for others. Pupils talked knowledgeably about Fairtrade and the impact that trade has on farmers. They talked enthusiastically about the Fairtrade healthy tuck shop that they help to organise. The school council is responsible for organising charity events. Pupils are encouraged to feel part of their community. Last year for example, pupils served tea to local residents as part of a community event, ‘Tea for the Queen’.
• Pupils speak very highly of the support and care that the school provides. They appreciate being able to speak to a counsellor who is based in school should they need it, but they also have strong relationships with other adults in school. There is very much a family feel here where everyone helps each other, everyone can shine at something and no one is left out. Pupils have helped to design a ‘peace garden’, which is a pretty, quiet place where pupils are encouraged to think, reflect and relax.
• There is a wide range of sport available and pupils are encouraged to be active and healthy and to develop their physical skills to a high level. A wide range of school teams take part regularly in area competitions.
• Pupils have a solid understanding of how to keep safe in a variety of ways. Pupils could talk about how they keep safe online and older pupils discussed their learning about the dangers of drugs. Pupils say that there are rarely any issues to do with bullying and that if incidents do ever happen, adults help to sort issues out very quickly.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils understand and respect the high expectations for behaviour that exist across the school. They manage their behaviour well and can often do this without adult direction. Pupils also support each other to manage their behaviour. At playtimes, older pupils take turns to be play leaders and ‘stay safe mentors’. They fulfil these roles sensibly and make a positive contribution to the happiness of their peers.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance levels are high. The school offers good support for families and, as a result, the few pupils who have had lower attendance in the past are now attending well.
• In and around classrooms, pupils show strong attitudes and respect for adults. During lessons, pupils show responsible attitudes towards learning activities. They want to achieve high standards.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Learning activities are carefully planned to ensure that pupils’ learning needs are met. Strong attitudes to learning across the school mean that pupils work hard and listen to the guidance they are given. Pupils’ books and the school’s own data show that current pupils, including pupils who are disadvantaged, make at least expected, and often better progress from their starting points. The interesting and wide curriculum motivates pupils to apply these skills across a range of subjects.
• Pupils who are disadvantaged receive additional teaching that is targeted to their needs. This helps pupils to make good progress and to catch up with their peers. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities also receive very carefully targeted support and advice from other agencies as needed. As a result, these pupils also make strong progress from their starting points.
• All pupils in 2016 achieved at least the expected standard in writing in Year 6. Pupils’ current books show that writing is strong across the school. Pupils regularly develop, improve and edit longer pieces of writing. Leaders say that this, along with high expectations of writing in a range of subjects, has supported good outcomes for writing across the school. The quality of pupils’ handwriting is not as strong.
• Pupils get off to a good start in their reading and achieve well in the national phonics screening assessments in Year 1. As they move through the school, some of the most able pupils do not develop deeper understanding of texts and therefore do not achieve higher standards in reading.
• Outcomes in mathematics have recently improved due to a drive to help pupils to be accurate, fluent and quick at recalling mathematical facts. Further work led by the subject leader has ensured that pupils are now increasingly able to use these facts to reason and solve problems. This work is new and some of the most able pupils are not sufficiently challenged to achieve even higher standards.
• In 2016, the numbers of pupils achieving higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics in Year 6 and in reading and mathematics in Year 2 were below national levels. This was due to some weaker teaching in the past for both of these groups of pupils.

Early years provision Good

• Children have a good start to their time at the school. Parents speak very positively about how well their children settle and how happy they are at school. Some children need extra help to develop their social and communication skills, but most children arrive with skills that are broadly typical for their age. By the end of the year, the majority of children achieve a good level of development and are therefore well prepared for Year 1.
• Leaders arrange for teachers to share their assessments with others in the local group of schools in order to check that these assessments are accurate. Teachers then use these assessments of what children know, can do and understand to plan further learning activities.
• The wide range of activities attracts children to them and they work well together to share and take turns. There is an expectation that children will develop their independent skills as they move around their learning activities and children rise to this. For example, two children worked out together how to move their large construction from the carpet to a table without asking for adult help.
• Welfare and safeguarding requirements are met. Children feel safe and are therefore confident not only during their learning sessions but also outside at playtimes where they happily join in with older pupils in the school. This supports their social development well.
• Relationships between children and teachers are respectful and adults take care to encourage children to speak in front of their classmates in order to develop their communication skills.
• Children, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive a high level of personalised care and support, which enables them to make good progress. However, the most able children do not have the challenge they need to reach higher levels. This slows their progress.
• There are some physical restrictions to children being able to access the outside area freely and often, in order to fully develop their learning, particularly in their understanding of the world.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 126319 Wiltshire 10002564 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 127 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Harry Barlow Kathrine Hume 01666 577357 www.crudwellprimary.co.uk head@crudwell.wilts.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 23–24 March 2010

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is well below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is well below the national average.
• The school receives regular visits from a local authority adviser.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards.

Information about this inspection

• Learning was observed in all classes across the school during learning walks with the headteacher. Lunchtimes were also observed. Meetings were held with the headteacher and senior leaders.
• A meeting was held with four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The local authority adviser who supports the school spoke to the inspector on the telephone.
• Pupils’ books were looked at with the subject leaders for mathematics and English. Meetings were held with other leaders in the school.
• A wide range of documents was taken into consideration, including the school’s evaluation of its progress, information about pupils’ progress, minutes of governing body meetings, the development plan and documents relating to safeguarding.
• Views from parents and pupils were gathered throughout the inspection.

Inspection team

Tonwen Empson, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector