Tickenham Church of England (VA) Primary School 174 Clevedon Road, Tickenham, Clevedon, BS21 6RG

Inspection dates 6–7 March 2013

Previous inspection: Good 2 Overall effectiveness This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because  Achievement had declined in the last few  Teaching for some disabled pupils and those years, particularly in mathematics in Key with special educational does not always Stage 2, and pupils had not made enough enable them to make enough progress. This is progress in their learning. because class teachers do not always work  Actions taken to improve teaching and closely enough with teaching assistants to plan learning have not yet had a full impact on the tasks that precisely meet their needs. progress made by all pupils, particularly in  There is an inconsistent approach to the Years 3 and 4. provision for disabled pupils and those with  Teaching is not good enough because there special educational needs with the result that are times when teachers spend too long on some pupils make much better progress than lesson introductions and pupils have too little others. time to complete their tasks.  Middle leaders do not monitor the quality of  Sometimes the level of challenge is not right teaching in their subjects or areas rigorously for higher-attaining pupils. Marking does not enough. This means they do not have a always tell pupils clearly enough what they complete picture of how well pupils are doing. need to do to improve. All these things slow Consequently, targets in their action plans are the progress made by pupils. not precise or measurable.

The school has the following strengths  The strong and decisive leadership of the  Children and pupils in the Early Years new headteacher has enabled the school to Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 benefit from halt the decline in pupils’ achievement and good teaching and consequently make good significantly improve the quality of teaching. progress in their learning.  All staff and governors are wholly committed  Pupils say they feel very safe in school. to the current drive for improvement. Strategies introduced to improve behaviour Governance is now good. have been very successful and this is now good. Inspection report: Tickenham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 2 of 9

Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed seven lessons or parts of lessons, two of which were joint observations with the headteacher. She also observed the teaching of phonics (letters and letter combinations and the sounds they make) as well as observing groups where individual support was provided. In addition, the inspector heard pupils from Years 2 and 6 read as well as examining pupils’ work and discussing it with them.  A wide range of school documentation was analysed and evaluated including that relating to safeguarding, assessment data, school improvement plans, monitoring records and minutes of governing body meetings.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and staff as well as the members of the governing body. A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority.  The 34 responses to the questionnaire on the Parent View website were considered as well as 17 questionnaires returned by staff and two letters received from parents.

Inspection team

Christine Huard, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

Inspection report: Tickenham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 3 of 9

Full report

Information about this school

 Tickenham is a much smaller than average school which serves the vilage of Tickenham and the surrounding area.  There are four mixed-age classes which change from year to year as group sizes change. This year the make up is: Reception and Year 1, Year 2, Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6.  The school has a higher percentage of pupils supported through school action than most other schools.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is smaller than the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium, including the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is below the national average.  There is a below average proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and the proportion of pupils learning English as an additonal language is also below average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher took up his post at the end of February 2012.  The school has no alternative, off-site provision.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching, particularly in Years 3 and 4, so that it becomes consistently good or better by: improving the pace of lessons to ensure pupils have sufficient time to complete their written tasks ensuring that higher-attaining pupils are challenged right from the start of every lesson improving the quality of marking so that it always tell pupils what they can do to improve their work and move forward in their learning.

 Improve the progress made by disabled pupils and those with special educational needs by: developing a strategy for the planning and use of support so that there is a consistent approach across the school ensuring that class teachers and teaching assistants work more closely together to plan and prepare work that meets the needs of pupils more precisely developing the role of the special educational needs coordinator.

 Improve the effectiveness of the middle leaders by: providing them with more opportunities to monitor the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects and areas providing training to ensure they are fully confident in using and analysing data in order for them to develop action plans with specific and measurable targets for improvement that are helpful to the school.

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Inspection judgements

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils attainment in Key Stage 2 declined in the last two years and pupils have not achieved as well as they should, particularly in mathematics. Attainment at the end of Year 6 last summer was below average in mathematics although broadly average in English. Pupils did not make enough progress because teaching was not consistently good enough. Lesson observations, scrutiny of pupils’ work and the school’s own tracking data show that the decline has been stopped.  Since the appointment of the new headteacher and the robust actions taken to improve the quality of teaching, pupils have made much better progress, particularly in mathematics. Most pupils in Years 5 and 6 have already made as much progress this year as would be expected in a full school year. This has enabled them to make up the ground they lost and they are back where they should be. All the pupils in Year 6 are on track to make two full levels progress since the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics and some are likely to do better than this. In Years 3 and 4 there remains work to be done to ensure pupils’ achievement is good over time.  Some disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs do not always make as much progress as they should. This is because some class teachers do not plan closely enough with their teaching assistants to ensure that activities and support closely match pupils’ individual needs. Additionally, they do not always assess pupils’ learning sufficiently at the end of each session to ensure that their learning can be reinforced through whole-class activities.  Children enter the Reception class with knowledge and skills that are broadly in line with that expected for their age. They make good progress across all areas of the Early Years’ framework because tasks and activities are designed to interest and motivate them and are closely matched to their needs. They have good opportunities to develop their early literacy and numeracy skills, both inside and outdoors.  Pupils in Years 1 and 2 benefit from good teaching and tasks that are interesting and matched closely to their abilities. This means that they make good progress. Attainment has been consistently above average at the end of Year 2 since the previous inspection in 2007.  Pupils in Year 1 attained above average scores in the phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) screening test at the end of last summer. This is because phonics is taught in a structured, yet fun, way that enables them to make good progress. Across the school pupils read well and at an above average level. Pupils in Year 6 discuss texts maturely and with assurance and are developing the skills necessary to enable them to make informed predictions and deductions and draw inferences from the books they are reading.  Pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium did not do as well last year as their peers in both English and mathematics. The school has put into place specific programmes to support these pupils in both subjects. Their average point scores for this year, to date, show that these pupils are now attaining better and the gap between them and their peers is narrowing significantly in both English and mathematics.  The success that the school has had this year in improving the quality of teaching and thus improving achievement demonstrates the renewed commitment of all staff to try and ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed and that discrimination is not tolerated.

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching and learning requires improvement because it is not yet consistently good across the school for all pupils.  The pace of learning is occasionally too slow because teachers talk for too long when pupils are sitting on the carpet and explanations are not always as clear as they could be. As a result,

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pupils have insufficient time to complete written tasks or they lose interest or concentration.  Sometimes higher-attaining pupils are not set work quickly enough which makes them think hard. They have to sit through explanations of things they already know or complete tasks that are too easy.  Marking is of variable quality. While some is informative and useful to pupils, other marking does not always tell them clearly enough what they need to do to improve their work.  Teaching for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is not always as well focused on their needs as it should be. Some class teachers do not take sufficient responsibility for the overall progress that these pupils make.  The school has used the pupil premium funding well to provide one-to-one support and some small-group teaching. This is helping to develop pupils’ confidence and effectively close any gaps in their learning particularly in mathematics. The teaching of a specific programme to help the 20% of pupils whose circumstances make them most vulnerable is helping to speed up their progress.  When teaching is good, pupils are lively and responsive to tasks that are interesting and fun. Teachers and pupils get on well together and the pace of learning is brisk because tasks are challenging for all pupils.  In developing their creative curriculum the school has tried to ensure that there are plenty of opportunities for pupils to use their literacy and mathematical skills in other subjects.  Pupils all across the school are learning how to judge for themselves how well they are learning and teachers use appropriate strategies for them to demonstrate this.  There is good evidence to show that teaching has significantly improved this year. The robust monitoring programme shows that lessons are much better planned and taught and the curriculum is lively and interesting and appeals to the pupils. Pupils themselves say that lessons are more fun and they are learning much more effectively. As one Year 6 pupil graphically said, ‘Last year we were like a bewildered dog, but now we are back to where we should be.’

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are very happy at school and they say they feel very safe. Behaviour is good both in and around the school and out in the playground.  Pupils work together very well in class and cooperate and collaborate well. Very occasionally a few pupils may lose concentration when teaching is not as good as it should be. However, teachers manage behaviour well and do not allow pupils to disrupt the learning of others.  Some parents expressed concerns about behaviour in the Parent View survey. Pupils and staff say that there was some poor behaviour last year but that this has all changed since the arrival of the new headteacher. In addition, a more consistent approach to behaviour management by the staff ensures that the pupils are fully aware of any sanctions that might be imposed should their behaviour become unacceptable.  The school’s behaviour logs show very few instances of poor behaviour and a very low incidence of exclusions.  Pupils are adamant that there is no bullying in the school. They understand well the nature of bullying and the different forms it might take such as name calling or e-bullying. They are provided with good quality information about how to keep themselves safe through visits from the local police, childline and though visits to the Life Skills centre.  Pupils are polite and friendly and willingly take on responsibilities. They say there is little bad behaviour and few conflicts. They proudly told the inspector that since the introduction of the peer-mediation programme they are expected to sort out their own problems, although adults were always there to help if they needed it.  Attendance is above average and pupils’ punctuality is good. The school follows up pupils’ absences assiduously and has a very robust attitude to term-time holidays, refusing to authorise these unless the circumstances are truly exceptional. Inspection report: Tickenham Church of England (VA) Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 6 of 9

The leadership and management require improvement

 The headteacher provides very strong decisive leadership. He is ambitious for the school and has a clear vision for improvement. Nevertheless, leadership and management require improvement because middle leaders do not monitor their subjects and areas sufficiently rigorously and are too reliant on that carried out by the headteacher.  Middle leaders are not totally confident in analysing and using data to discover how well pupils are doing. This means that targets in their action plans are rather vague and woolly and consequently it is not possible to measure accurately the success of actions taken. The provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is not organised as well as it should be.  Nevertheless, the school has taken effective steps to improve teaching, particularly in Key Stage 2, and this has resulted in many pupils, particularly those in Years 5 and 6, making accelerated progress. This confirms that the school is well placed to make further improvement.  The headteacher has been firm and uncompromising in his quest for improvement and has made his goals clear to all staff. He has gained the support and respect of all staff and their morale is high as they feel valued and part of the team.  The school requested a full-school review from the local authority at the start of September. This resulted in the authority providing strong support for the school’s leaders, including governors, which has resulted in significant improvements being made, particularly in mathematics, teaching and learning and governance.  School documentation shows that in the past there have been insufficient links between pupils’ progress and the way in which staff have moved along the pay scales. The headteacher is very clear that the performance of teachers is now to be linked closely to the teachers’ standards and the progress that pupils make. New systems for appraisal have the potential to make it easier to identify underperformance and take action to address this.  The school has a lively and interesting curriculum which is supported by a wide range of visits linked to each theme or topic. The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. Pupils are given good opportunities to reflect on their learning, appreciate and celebrate each other’s accomplishments and gain an understanding of different faiths and cultures.  The school ensures that all statutory requirements for safeguarding pupils are met and arrangements for pupils’ welfare and their protection are robust.

 The governance of the school: The school has had four headteachers since the previous inspection. As a result, the governing body received mixed messages as to how the school was performing and did not challenge the performance of the school effectively. Things have changed significantly this year. Since the review made by the local authority, governing body minutes provide good evidence to show that the quality of monitoring has significantly improved and governors now have a much clearer idea of what their role entails and the right questions to ask. They show a good understanding of how much progress pupils are making and where further improvements are required. Governors are all linked to subject areas and are expected to visit the school, hold discussions with their subject leaders and report back to the governing body. They undergo training to improve their skills which means they are more confident to both support and challenge the school. They monitor the finances of the school rigorously and ensure that the money from the pupil premium is used effectively to support eligible pupils; for example, by providing one-to-one support for pupils as well as purchasing additional resources and equipment to support their teaching and learning. The governing body has a clear understanding of the new arrangements for managing the performance of teachers and the link to pay progression. Given the support from the local authority and that the governors are now holding the school to account, an external audit of governance is not recommended. Inspection report: Tickenham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 7 of 9

What inspection judgements mean

School Grade Judgement Description Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it improvement is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

Inspection report: Tickenham Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 8 of 9

School details

Unique reference number 109207 Local authority North Somerset Inspection number 403085

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 85 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michelle Crocker Headteacher Dean Hudd Date of previous school inspection 13 September 2007 Telephone number 01275 853919 Fax number 01275 853919 Email address [email protected]

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