Pebworth First School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the impact of leadership and management on school improvement by ensuring that:
  • the impact of the school’s work on pupils’ outcomes is routinely and systematically checked
  • governors receive clear information about how well pupils are doing.
• Continue to improve teaching and raise standards by:
  • making sure that staff quickly adjust tasks in lessons when pupils already understand or find the work too difficult
  • providing opportunities for pupils to apply their phonics skills in a range of situations
  • developing a love of reading beyond school so that pupils thrive as readers.
• Work with families to improve the attendance of pupils who are absent too often.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The executive headteacher has taken effective action to improve the standards of teaching and learning in the school. She has responded to external support and advice and, as a result, teaching throughout the school is good.
• Together, the executive headteacher and the governing body have appointed a new subject leader for English. Leaders are rapidly developing their knowledge and skills, using these to improve the quality of teaching. For example, they regularly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses in pupils’ books and in lessons, to inform future training and support for staff.
• Leaders have created a bright and engaging school environment, which supports learning and captures the memorable experiences provided by the broad curriculum. For example, all pupils take part in growing plants and vegetables in the school garden. Every term, each class uses its produce to create and serve a dish at a community meal hosted in school.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development is well supported. External visits and visitors to the school support the curriculum. Pupils develop a good understanding of democracy and respect for others. For example, during the inspection, pupils were planning questions for a local MP who was visiting the school the next day.
• There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to learn about different faiths and cultures. During the inspection, pupils told the inspector how they learned about Jewish and Muslim faiths. Pupils explained that they complete work at school, as well as research at home and then visit the place of worship, for example a mosque.
• Leaders have created a warm and aspirational culture which staff are proud to be part of. In their responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, staff indicated that they were supported to develop and improve their practice.
• Parents and carers value the improvements that school leaders and staff have made since the last inspection. Parents who spoke to the inspector have confidence that the school is continuing to improve and that their children are learning and making good progress.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium grant is spent well. The PE funding is used to raise the profile of PE within the school and improve PE equipment. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ engagement in physical activity. Leaders use the pupil premium funding well and evaluate its effectiveness. Consequently, targeted pupils make good progress and participate fully in all curriculum activities.
• Leaders use funding effectively to provide focused training for staff, which enables them to support pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities to do well in lessons.
• Leaders are clear about what the school does well and their accurate evaluations inform the school’s development plan. Leaders are making their systems for routinely checking the impact of the school’s work on outcomes more organised and systematic.

Governance

• Governance has improved since the last inspection and is now effective. Governors make frequent visits to the school in order to find out about the quality of teaching and learning. They follow up visits with written reports and questions. As a result, they hold the executive headteacher and other leaders to account more effectively.
• Records from governing body meetings show that, as well as making regular visits, governors ask the right questions about the school’s strengths and weaknesses. However, the information governors currently receive about pupils’ progress and the effectiveness of the school’s improvement plans needs to be presented more clearly. Governors recognise that this would help them to improve their analysis of the school’s performance.
• Governors have a good understanding of their responsibilities in ensuring that pupils are kept safe. They attend appropriate training and meet regularly with the executive headteacher to ensure that required checks and training are up to date.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school has rightly invested time in making sure that staff, governors and parents know how to keep pupils safe. This in turn has led to a positive culture of safeguarding where everyone shares responsibility for the safety of pupils.
• Procedures and processes are understood and followed by staff to ensure that the school runs smoothly and safely. All the correct checks on staff and visitors are completed and recorded.
• A well-planned curriculum ensures that pupils are provided with the right information to keep themselves safe at an age-appropriate level. Pupils in the school expressed the view that they feel safe and know whom to go to if they have any concerns.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the last inspection. Teachers are using the breadth of the curriculum effectively to inspire pupils in their writing and provide practical opportunities to apply their mathematical skills. In mathematics, for example, pupils had recently engaged in problem-solving activities to make Viking helmets for their musical performance at a local community event.
• Pupils take pride in their books, and the presentation of work has significantly improved since the last inspection. Pupils told the inspector that the school was fun. Other comments from pupils included, ‘We learn a lot here and we are taught how to act when we go to middle school.’
• Relationships between adults and pupils are strong. Classrooms provide an environment that support pupils’ independence and resilience in learning.
• Teaching assistants support groups of pupils and individual pupils effectively. They use questioning well to develop pupils’ understanding and provide assessment information to the class teacher. The skills and interests of the teaching assistants are used to enrich the curriculum well in this small school. For example, they run music and gardening clubs throughout the week.
• The school’s staff are rightly proud of the musical opportunities they provide to pupils. All pupils have the chance to learn a brass instrument and perform as a choir at various events. During the inspection, pupils performed confidently in an assembly and were seen practising playing together in a small brass band in the grounds of the school.
• Teachers plan a range of exciting writing opportunities. For example, pupils’ books demonstrate a range of stories, information texts and letters inspired by school topics. The effect of this is that pupils are using more adventurous vocabulary to express themselves.
• Overall, reading is taught well. Pupils are taught phonic knowledge in regular and purposeful sessions. However, at times, there is insufficient emphasis on applying phonic skills to new situations. Pupils have access to reading books, a library and an online reading scheme. Some pupils do not read often enough at home.
• Teachers plan a range of work for pupils in their classes. For example, pupils’ books show different challenges matched to their needs when writing about the school council. However, sometimes in lessons, teachers are not quick enough to adjust tasks to support pupils or challenge them further.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to support pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are confident and curious learners who enjoy coming to school.
• Pupils have the opportunity to develop leadership and responsibility skills through a variety of clubs and committees. For example, the school has received the Eco School Green Flag award several times. During this inspection, pupils spoke confidently about their roles in committees and were clearly proud of their school.
• The school’s values of working together, caring, aiming high, respect and resilience are reinforced regularly in class. As a result, pupils demonstrate confidence in the way they approach their work and can talk about what they might want to achieve in the future. One pupil, for instance, explained how important his learning was as he intended to go to university or college.
• Pupils show a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including online safety. Younger pupils know about ‘stranger danger’ and the importance of following the school’s practised routines if the fire alarm sounds.
• Pupils’ emotional and physical well-being is supported well throughout the school. Pupils are taught about the different types of bullying. They say that bullying rarely happens in school, but they are confident that should it occur, a teacher would deal with it quickly.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils manage their own behaviour well and are positive about the school’s behaviour and rewards systems. Pupils are adamant that teachers tackle any poor behaviour quickly.
• Pupils are polite and respect one another, teachers and visitors to the school. They understand the importance of developing positive behaviours. Comments from pupils included, ‘It is important we learn to behave because we will need to behave well when we go to work.’ As a result, the classrooms provide a positive learning environment for pupils.
• Leaders are rightly focused on improving the attendance of a few pupils who do not attend regularly enough. In the academic year 2016–17, attendance rates declined and were below the national average. A new attendance policy is being implemented and, recently, there has been an improvement in the attendance of some pupils with a track record of persistent absence.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Since the previous inspection, standards in reading, writing and mathematics have risen. In 2017, standards at the end of key stage 1 were above national averages in all three subjects.
• In key stage 2, pupils continue to do well, and work in pupils’ books shows good progress over time. The most able pupils receive work that challenges them to think hard. Pupils at risk of falling behind benefit from effective teaching, support and encouragement. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for learning at their next school.
• Leaders have ensured that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is used to good effect, resulting in strong outcomes for these groups of pupils.
• Progress in reading is good. However, some pupils are not routinely reading enough to apply their skills to develop a sustained interest in reading. This is particularly the case for reading outside school.
• Over the last two years, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has been lower than the national average. The teaching of phonics is effective and enables pupils to make good progress. However, some pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to consolidate their understanding by applying their phonic skills in different situations.

Early years provision Good

• The number of children within early years is often very low and varies considerably from one year to the next. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development before the start of Year 1 has also varied from year to year. However, in 2017, all children reached a good level of development.
• Leadership in early years is good. The leader has sought and made good use of external support and visits to other schools to assist improvements.
• Teachers and teaching assistants record evidence and track children’s progress meticulously. Teachers use these assessments to plan lessons that are carefully matched to children’s needs.
• Good teaching in early years means that children are helped to make good progress in their writing and mathematical skills from their varied starting points. For example, some children’s workbooks in Reception demonstrate their progress from initial mark making to clearly formed letters and some simple words. Other children have moved on swiftly from writing one word in response to a picture to using word banks to write in simple sentences using capital letters and full stops.
• Children behave well in early years. They learn the routines quickly and follow instructions from adults. They benefit from good role models at lunchtime when they sit in family groups. Children are kept safe and are well cared for.
• The early years classroom and extensive outdoor spaces are well structured to support children to develop skills and learn through play. Relationships between adults and children are strong. As a result, children are happy, confident and increasingly independent.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116715 Worcestershire 10048180 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school First School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 10 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 36 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Executive headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Paul Burton Lorna Button 01789 720726 www.pebworthfirst.org.uk office@pebworthfirst.worcs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 10–11 March 2016

Information about this school

• The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school with three classes: Reception, Years 1 and 2 and Years 3 to 5.
• The school is federated with a local middle school. The federation has a single governing body and an executive headteacher who is responsible for both schools.
• Since the last inspection, new governors have been appointed and there have been several staff changes.
• The pupils are of White British background. All pupils speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, for whom the pupil premium funding provides support, is slightly higher than the national average.
• The school is supported by an education improvement adviser, commissioned by the local authority.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning throughout the school, jointly with the executive headteacher.
• The inspector talked to pupils from various year groups and took into account the six responses from the pupil questionnaire. The inspector talked informally to pupils at the beginning of the day and at lunchtime and around the school. The inspector also heard pupils read.
• Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, the lead for early years and four governors from the federation’s governing body.
• The inspector and middle leaders carried out a book scrutiny across English and mathematics and discussed how well pupils are learning and what progress they are making.
• The inspector looked at a range of documents provided by the school, including the school’s self-evaluation, assessment information, improvement plans and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.
• The inspector spoke informally to parents at the start of the school day. The inspector took account of the 13 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.
• The inspector took into account the seven responses to the staff questionnaire and spoke to a cross-section of staff to discuss their views of the school.

Inspection team

Amanda Clugston, lead inspector

Ofsted Inspector