Martley CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the progress that children make in their learning and development in the pre-school provision by:
  • assessing children’s progress in each area of learning and development systematically and in an agreed way
  • ensuring that children’s progress is tracked more rigorously
  • using this assessment information effectively to tailor learning activities which challenge children and help them to move on to their next stage of learning.
• Further improve teaching, learning and assessment so that:
  • standards in writing in key stage 1 reflect the improved standards seen in Reception and key stage 2
  • by the end of key stage 2, more pupils are achieving a greater depth of learning in their reading and writing
  • improved standards and expectations in writing are reflected more consistently in topic work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher’s drive to make sure that everyone is supporting the same vision has been instrumental in improving the school since the last inspection. Staff recognise the importance of working together on their ongoing journey of improvement. The headteacher and governors recognise where there have been weaknesses in the past. They have not shied away from addressing these, for the benefit of the pupils.
• Leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the strengths of the school, as well as those areas which need improvement. This has resulted in a sharply focused development plan for the school. The recent drive to address the lower standards in writing has had a significant impact on the overall quality and standard of pupils’ work. Staff have received good-quality professional development to enable them to inspire pupils to enjoy their writing.
• The deputy headteacher is highly effective and she supports the headteacher well. These leaders have high shared expectations for all staff, and rightly so. It is this drive, supported well by governors, which has brought about the improvements since the last inspection. Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching and learning in every key stage. This is because of their rigorous monitoring systems, which include regular observations, learning walks and book trawls.
• Leaders have ensured that their assessment systems are mostly fit for purpose and, as a result, can give a detailed account of the progress groups of pupils are making in school. However, this is not yet the case with the pre-school. Leaders have not yet set clear expectations about how and when assessment information is provided to them. This means that governors do not currently have an accurate picture of the progress pupils are making in this part of the school.
• Leaders review pupils’ progress on a regular basis with teachers. This enables leaders to make sure that teachers put appropriate interventions in place early on to help pupils make better progress. The school’s special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) provides additional support and guidance for staff to make sure that interventions are tailored to the needs of the pupils. These are monitored and reviewed on a regular basis to make sure that they are helping pupils with their learning.
• The regular discussions about pupils’ progress mean that teachers also share these high expectations, both of pupils and with pupils. Pupils to whom the inspector spoke were very proud of their work in literacy. They talked with enthusiasm about how they had been helped to improve their work over time. They recognised what they were good at, and which areas they needed to develop further.
• The creative and engaging curriculum enables pupils to enjoy learning across a range of topics. Leaders have made sure that it is well planned so that pupils in this small school do not repeat work. This is especially important in classes which have more than one year group. Pupils talked about their recent focus on the Romans, which culminated in researching and planning a Roman banquet. This brought the topic to life for pupils and immersed them in all aspects of Roman history.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are receiving good support to help them learn well. This is due to the quality of interventions they receive. Pupil premium funding and funding for special educational needs and/or disabilities are targeted well to reduce some of the barriers to learning that pupils experience.
• The school’s values of cooperation, creativity, courage, compassion and commitment are woven into curriculum topics. The curriculum is enriched through the provision of regular music, creative arts, drama and sporting activities. Every pupil has the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument during their time in school at no extra cost to parents.
• All parents to whom the inspector spoke, and those who completed the online survey, said that their child was happy at school. The overwhelming majority of parents said that their child was well looked after and was making good progress.
• The accurate assessment information about the pupils enables leaders to target pupil premium funding well to support disadvantaged pupils. As a result, disadvantaged pupils are making progress in line with their non-disadvantaged peers.
• Leaders make good use of the physical education (PE) and sport premium funding. Pupils are able to take part in a wide range of sports, including tag rugby, cross-country running, orienteering, football and netball. Pupils benefit from working with a cricket coach from Worcester County Cricket Club to develop their PE skills. They represent the school in regular sporting fixtures and tournaments. Staff have received professional development to enable them to link the teaching of literacy and numeracy with PE. As a result, literacy and numeracy activities are delivered in alternative, engaging ways and promote pupils’ physical development.

Governance of the school

• A review of governance has taken place since the last inspection, which has enabled governors to restructure and strengthen their role. They have improved their skills and now offer significant challenge to leaders. Governors now know the school extremely well. They know the strengths of the school but also know where more work is needed to bring about improvements.
• Governors have put their skills to good use when interpreting a range of assessment information with which they are provided. They established a working group to analyse performance information in more depth and this has enabled them to ask leaders searching questions about the performance of different groups of pupils.
• Governors visit the school regularly and monitor improvement work through learning walks and looking at pupils’ work with leaders. This enables them to see the impact of ongoing improvement work.
• Governors understand their statutory responsibilities and make sure that safeguarding the pupils is integral to their practice. Governors have taken appropriate steps to increase the security of the school site. They hold regular safeguarding discussions with leaders and recently carried out a safeguarding audit of the school.
• Governors have utilised external support well to help drive school improvement. They have also ensured that staff have opportunities to visit schools in contrasting settings to widen their experience and enhance their work with the pupils at Martley.
• Governors ensure that all aspects of performance management are effective and they are appropriately involved in the performance management of staff.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and governors have developed a culture in the school which means that safeguarding is everyone’s business. Staff know pupils very well, and build positive and supportive relationships with parents. Records show that staff receive regular safeguarding training, including keeping pupils safe from radicalisation and extremism, female genital mutilation and child sexual exploitation.
• The school’s fully trained designated safeguarding lead has ensured that there is appropriate cover in his absence. Staff were able to tell the inspector about the procedures they need to follow should they have concerns about a child’s welfare. They are right when they say, ‘We know the children well, so we can look out for any changes.’
• Staff are recruited appropriately. Leaders and one governor have completed training on safer recruitment. Personnel files are managed well and all appropriate safeguarding pre-employment checks have been carried out.
• Concerns about pupils are referred to external agencies in an appropriate way, and detailed, well-organised individual case files are kept securely.
• Appropriate risk assessments are in place and records show that these are discussed with the governing body.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• There have been significant improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment since the last inspection. Teachers’ raised expectations of pupils in lessons, along with their secure subject knowledge, mean that, in most cases, pupils are making strong progress in their learning. Pupils behave well and, in the best lessons, are motivated and engaged in the stimulating activities provided to them.
• The recent improvements in the teaching of writing can be seen clearly in most pupils’ work. Not only have standards in writing improved, but leaders have also made sure that pupils have developed a love of writing. The creative curriculum means that they are provided with engaging topics to hook them in to their writing. The inspector saw pupils learning about volcanoes and sharing their knowledge with each other, using correct terminology. They brought to life the way a volcano erupted with physical movements, and then had to write persuasively about why you should or should not live near a volcano.
• Staff encourage pupils to try hard in their learning and teachers have created a culture where pupils feel safe to take risks with their answers. In a philosophy lesson, pupils were developing questions about an excerpt of a story on luck. They had to comment on their peers’ questions and justifications for them, such as ‘Is there a way to be lucky?’ They did so in a way which showed respect for different opinions. Pupils listened actively to the views of others, even if they did not agree with them. In another lesson, a pupil who had incorrectly identified a factor of a number was happy to let the teacher share her work with other pupils, so that they could help to correct the error. This resilience was seen throughout the inspection and was also seen in work in books.
• Reading is promoted throughout the school. Pupils read on a daily basis and they enjoy the challenge of reaching their reading targets. They are developing and using their phonics skills to help them read new and unfamiliar words. Pupils are encouraged to read aloud to others, both in lessons and in celebration assemblies, and these opportunities help them to develop their confidence and speaking skills.
• Teaching assistants complement the work of the teachers and provide well-timed and effective support for pupils in class. They offer discreet support and prompts for pupils who need extra support, without doing too much for them. They use thoughtful questioning to help pupils think about ways to improve their work or to check their understanding of the task they are working on.
• Mathematics teaching is strong and work in books shows that pupils are challenged to improve and deepen their learning. Pupils are provided with regular opportunities to solve problems and develop deeper reasoning skills. Pupils are supported with practical equipment to help them develop their understanding of more abstract concepts such as factorisation. Sometimes, however, work is not matched well enough to the ability of the pupils and this can result in work that is either too hard or too easy. In one lesson, pupils were ordering numbers. The more able pupils were enjoying the challenge of ordering four-digit numbers but others did not have a secure understanding of place value and, as a result, lost interest in the activity.
• Pupils have the opportunity to extend their learning through well-planned topic work. In key stage 2, the current topic of ‘extreme earth’ allows the pupils to access a rich variety of activities, but also to gain a greater understanding of the impact of their place as a global citizen, beyond their immediate community.
• In most cases, teachers use information from the school’s robust assessment system to match activities to pupils’ abilities. They are able to track and discuss pupils’ progress with leaders in regular meetings. Where a pupil is not reaching their target or expected standard, interventions are agreed to help the pupil improve their learning. Leaders have ensured that there is a well-planned process for moderation and teachers not only work together to moderate pupils’ work, but work with colleagues from other schools in the area to compare evidence.
• While standards in writing are much improved, inconsistencies still remain. Pupils in key stage 1 are not being challenged enough to develop their writing skills. The high standard of writing seen in other year groups in literacy is not yet reflected to the same extent in pupils’ topic work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils talk confidently about the school’s values of cooperation, compassion, commitment, creativity and courage – also known as the ‘five C’s’. Pupils recognise the importance of the ‘five C’s’ in helping them develop into responsible citizens, within the wider Christian ethos of the school. On entering the school, the ‘values’ tree shows clearly how pupils demonstrate these values, and how they are celebrated.
• Pupils take great pride in their school and they enjoy their learning. Pupils to whom the inspector spoke talked at length about the link they have with a school in Tanzania. They explained how they have developed pen-pal links with the pupils, and have raised funds to provide them with resources for their school.
• Pupils are actively encouraged to become independent learners and take on responsibilities in the school. Older pupils are encouraged to become Young Leaders, planning and leading activities for younger pupils at lunchtimes. Young Leaders talked confidently about the training they had received to help them carry out their role, and the opportunities they had had to work with pupils from other schools to improve their leadership skills. As a result of this responsibility, they felt that they were better prepared to move into the next phase of their education at secondary school. Pupils in Year 6 act as reading buddies for younger pupils to help them with their reading.
• Achievements are celebrated across the school and displays promote positive behaviour and rewards. Pupils are motivated to earn ‘dojo’ points and share their achievements in the weekly celebration assembly.
• Pupils have an understanding about fundamental British values and what it means to be British. Pupils talked excitedly about how they had put their understanding of democracy into action through their school council in a quest to introduce a house system. Pupils were delighted that this was successful and they recognised how pupils work together in teams to achieve house points. Pupils are less confident in talking about their understanding of individual liberty and the rule of law.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in and around school. They know not to leave the school premises and that they should keep entrances closed. They understand how to keep themselves safe on the internet and when using mobile phones and know what cyber bullying means.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. The ‘family’ ethos is evident in and around school and pupils are polite and show respect to others. Pupils behave well and show kindness and consideration for others. Parents believe that the school makes sure that pupils are well behaved and the majority of pupils say that behaviour is good in the school.
• There are very few incidents of poor behaviour, including bullying. The school’s behaviour policy outlines clearly expectations for behaviour, and how any form of bullying is not tolerated. This includes homophobic and racist bullying. Pupils say that there is very little bullying at school and, if there is, it is dealt with swiftly. Parents also feel that the school deals well with bullying.
• Pupils attend school regularly and rarely miss a day of school. Pupils usually arrive at school on time and ready to learn. Leaders follow up any absences from school in a quick and timely way to make sure that pupils are not missing out on their education.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• A significant number of pupils join the school at different times of the year. Despite this, the school’s current progress information shows that the majority of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and the most able, are making good progress and are on track to achieve their targets. Last year’s national assessment and test results for Year 2 and Year 6 pupils continued the improving trend of results over time. In key stage 2, the national tests showed that overall attainment in reading and mathematics was higher than national figures.
• At key stage 1 in 2016, pupils’ attainment in reading and mathematics was in line with national figures, but was lower in writing. Pupils’ attainment and progress in writing in key stage 2 were also lower than national averages. Leaders have taken swift action to address performance in writing and the impact of this work is evident in pupils’ books and current progress information.
• Outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check have risen year on year for the last three years and, in 2016, were above the national average for both disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils.
• Fewer pupils in key stage 1 achieved higher standards for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. This was also the case in reading and writing in key stage 2. Leaders and governors have recognised this and are taking steps to extend pupils’ learning in these areas. The impact of this work is reflected in pupils’ workbooks this year.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Leaders do not track the progress of children in pre-school in a systematic way and, as a result, do not have accurate assessment information about the progress that children are making.
• Governors have not been provided with information about the performance of this group of children and this means that they have an incomplete picture of progress and attainment in the early years.
• Staff do not yet make sure that activities for children in pre-school are matched closely enough to children’s abilities. Although weekly plans are in place, there is no long-term overview of the progression of activities. This is because assessment information is not analysed sufficiently. Activities are not linked to outcomes, learning objectives are not stated and there is no clear direction for teaching assistants in the pre-school provision.
• All welfare requirements are met in the pre-school provision and safeguarding is effective. Adults make sure that children are safe and receive good care and support. Security arrangements for visitors are strong.
• In 2016, children in Reception Year achieved a good level of development in line with national figures, and disadvantaged children exceeded this figure. While some children enter the school below age-related expectations, the school’s current assessment information shows that most children in Reception are on track to achieve a good level of development by the end of the academic year. Reception staff have a clear understanding of children’s abilities and next steps for their learning. Information about children’s progress is shared on a weekly basis with parents, and this is valued by parents.
• Good use is made of the learning environment in both the pre-school and Reception class. Children are able to access a range of activities to stimulate their imagination and help with the development of their play skills, such as the veterinary surgery and the construction area. Outdoor areas are suitably risk-assessed on a regular basis.
• Children behave well in the early years and are supported effectively by staff so they quickly settle and become familiar with routines. They respond to adults positively and readily get involved in activities.
• In the Reception class, children are given rich opportunities to develop their writing skills, using a range of media. Work in books shows progress over time and writing is a particular strength in this class.
• During one lesson in Reception, children were provided with the story challenge to innovate and change ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. The teacher encouraged the children to have a go at defining the word innovate. The children were visibly excited at being able to do this and they set to work quickly. They were keen to wear the magical hat and cloak to retell their stories to others and spoke with confidence in front of other children.
• Phonics is taught effectively in Reception and children are challenged at an appropriate level. The inspector observed a teaching assistant leading a phonics session skilfully with a small group of children, working on blending their letters. The children were keen to find giant beans with words on them, some with familiar and some with unfamiliar words. High expectations of the children meant that they were given some difficult words to read, for example chimpanzee, graphoid and handstand. The children’s enthusiasm and resilience were clear as they were happy to have a go at reading the words, using their phonics skills.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116831 Worcestershire 10032573 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 controlled 2 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 120 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Michele Humphries Andrew Massey 01886 888 201 www.martleyceprimaryschool.co.uk head@martley-pri.worcs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 28–29 April 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is smaller than most primary schools.
• The proportion of pupils who join the school mid-year is high.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well below average. Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• The early years provision comprises Martley pre-school and one Reception class.
• Children attend the pre-school provision on a full-time or a part-time basis, and two- year-olds attend this provision.
• A breakfast and after-school club operate on the premises and are managed by the governing body.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector carried out lesson observations and learning walks, some of which were undertaken jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.
• The inspector met with pupils and heard a selection of pupils read. She looked at examples of pupils’ work in their books and talked to a group of pupils about their learning and progress. She observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school and at lunchtime.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the leader of early years, the SENCo and the pre-school leader. The inspector considered the 17 responses to the Ofsted online staff questionnaire and met with a group of staff members to gather their views of the school.
• The inspector met with three members of the governing body and spoke to the local authority’s school improvement partner by telephone.
• The inspector took into account the 30 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and also spoke to parents on the playground at the beginning of the school day.
• A range of school documents were scrutinised, including the school’s self-evaluation, development plans and minutes and reports from the governing body. Information about pupils’ progress, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance were analysed and risk assessments were seen.

Inspection team

Deb Jenkins, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector