National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools Report

National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools Report Riddlesden St Mary’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School and Nursery Grange Road Riddlesden Keighley BD20 5AB Diocese: Bradford Local authority: Bradford Dates of inspection: 06 January 2011 Date of last inspection: 11 July 2008 School’s unique reference number: 107340 Headteacher: Miss Eileen Jackson Inspector’s name and number: Meg Cooper 438 School context St Mary’s is a larger than average primary school. It serves Riddlesden, Stockbridge, Eastwood and Highfield areas of Keighley. The majority of learners are of Pakistani descent. The number with learning difficulties is below the national average and the eligibility for free school meals is just above. The distinctiveness and effectiveness of St Mary’s as a Church of England school are good. The school has a strong ethos of care and respect underpinned by Christian values. The school demonstrates its Church of England status very effectively both visually and spiritually. Areas of strength identified in the last report have been sustained. The school has fully addressed the three areas identified for development. Established strengths  The leadership of the headteacher.  The Christian principle of inclusion which is identified as a key part of the school’s practice.  The strong relationships and mutual support between school and church community.  The high quality of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development for all learners. Focus for development  Embed the monitoring and evaluation system for collective worship led by foundation governors in consultation with the leadership team and learners.  Extend opportunities for the religious education leader and foundation governors to have Diocesan training on monitoring and evaluation to improve the effectiveness of the teaching of religious education.  Embed present systems for assessment in religious education. The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is good at meeting the needs of all learners Each learner is clearly valued and individual needs are recognised and addressed within a supportive Christian ethos. Learners have good levels of self esteem and are keen to communicate their opinions. The behaviour in lessons and around school is good. There is a high proportion of learners who speak English as an additional language and much work is done through additional groups to enable them to access the curriculum fully. Learners state that they feel safe and secure, that they are treated with respect and listened to by staff. Any conflicts are dealt with quickly and with fairness. The school uses its Christian character to nourish and challenge the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of its learners well. The school council is an effective group and is keen to put forward its ideas. There is a link to a school in Leyburn, a rural town, to widen the learners’ experience of their area. The school allotment supplies the school kitchen and the surplus is sold to parents so encouraging the learners’ enterprise skills. The grounds are well developed with a willow tunnel and much activity equipment and various trails. Displays are prominent although at the time of the inspection in the first week of term, many displays relating to Christmas had been removed. In the hall there is a wonderful cross stitch collage of Riddlesden which was worked by four members of St Mary’s Church congregation. In the entrance the glass doors are etched with the school logo – a cross, two doves and a sun – and each child proudly wears the logo on their sweatshirts. There is a wooden cross, praying hands and the school prayer displayed in the entrance making a significant contribution to the spiritual development of learners. There is also evidence of the school’s national awards. The learners raise funds for many charities including Poppy Day, The Salvation Army and Comic Relief. The impact of collective worship on the school community is good. The large number of foundation governors and their commitment to the school is excellent. The vice chair draws up a rota for visitors who lead collective worship weekly. They include the Lay Preacher and Priest in charge from St Mary’s Church, the Zephaniah Trust and CLIKS – Church Links in Keighley Schools. There is also a link with the Methodist and United Reform Churches, but both are in an interregnum at present. The learners visit church at Harvest taking produce with them, at Christmas for Y1/2 to perform the Nativity, at Easter when Y3/4 lead with drama relating to the Easter story and in July when Y5/6 lead the Leavers’ Service. On Education Sunday the school plays a part in the church service. There is a tradition of the school being very involved with church through music and numerous activities. The priest in charge is very involved in school and works in a positive partnership with the headteacher and foundation governors. Following the last inspection that recommended that pupils should be involved in the planned review of policy and practice for collective worship. The school council aided this review and a new policy was approved by governors. There is now a book of prayers that classes contribute to and is used in collective worship. A prayer said at the end of lunch to thank God for the food. The headteacher plans the themes linking them to SEAL and PSHCE plans and all staff and visitors have a copy. Three foundation governors attend collective worship periodically although there is no record or evaluation at present. The theme for the term ‘Hopes and Dreams’ was well displayed in the hall with learners adding post-its with their hope or dream on. They ranged from world peace to ‘I wish my family would never die’. A table with candles and a bell was set and, although the candles were not lit by the Lay Preacher who led collective worship, they are used by staff to mark the start and end of reflection time. The learners’ calm behaviour was exemplary. They were totally engaged during worship, some took an active role, and were able to speak of it with interest later. The learners sang well and all staff attended. Learners of all faiths and of none took part in prayers in the manner that they chose, some sitting quietly and others joining in. All learners showed respect during worship. The effectiveness of religious education is good. The long term plans for religious education have been in place since 2009 and the development of assessment materials for religious education are in place and being used to inform teaching and learning, but needs embedding through time. Learners are actively engaged in their learning and assessment through discussion and the marking procedure. The new religious education leader has done much work in collecting data for Autumn 2010 and her evidence shows that Foundation Stage and KS1 are working at an average level for their age and KS2 learners are making slightly above average progress. The religious education policy has been revised and approved by governors of all faiths. She has also produced a document showing visits for each year group to make to places of worship for Islam, Hinduism and Judaism, as well as St Mary’s Church to provide first hand learning experiences in RE. Most learners, whatever their faith background, enjoy religious education and can relate their learning to their own experience and beliefs. Learners and adults celebrate religious and cultural diversity locally and as the learners move through the school they have a growing understanding of Christian faith and practice, and can compare and contrast Christianity and Islam. The standards in religious education are in line with standards in other core subjects. In the lessons observed in Y2 and Y5/6 there was a range from good to outstanding teaching. Effective use was made of ICT and artefacts. The Y2 teacher brought interaction by learners searching for ‘The Lost Sheep’ and her varied use of voice made the learners enthralled. In Y5/6 the teacher kept a brisk pace and the objective that learners could explain the Hindu belief about God or of a supreme power was developed excellently. The interaction and discussion was of a good level. Both classes were well supported by teaching assistants. Learners took part in a ‘Pupil Voice’ questionnaire about positive aspects of religious education and what they wanted to see changed. The religious education leader has used this as a basis for an Action Plan. The religious education leader and foundation governors for religious education would benefit from some training and experience on monitoring and evaluation to enhance their expertise.

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is good. School leaders and governors have a clear vision of how distinctive Christian values are central to school life and there is a strong mutual support between the school and partners in the local church. Stakeholders speak confidently about the vision and state that it is embedded by the headteacher through fairness and modelling. The governors state that the headteacher is passionate about the church connection with school and demonstrated this through her attitudes and behaviours to all stakeholders. Parents are very positive, feel informed and understand their children’s standards of achievement. They like the way staff come into the yard at the end of the day and the headteacher is available to them. They enjoy the courses organised for them by the parent involvement worker and speak highly of the way the learners are taught to respect all faiths. Learners and parents like the range of extracurricular activities – ‘one spark of interest and they will develop it’. Community cohesion is good. Governors are highly committed and review school progress through the curriculum committee and School Improvement Plan. The leadership of the headteacher is based around her ability to motivate and empower people and these skills in partnership with the governors and church will continue to enhance the distinctive Christian character of St Mary’s. SIAS report January 2011 Riddlesden, St Mary’s Church of England VA Primary School, Keighley, BD20 5AB