Archbishops Council Corporate Template s2

National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools Report St Edburg’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Pioneer Way Bicester OX26 1BF Previous SIAMS grade: Good Current inspection grade: Good Diocese: Oxford Local authority: Oxfordshire Date of inspection: 9 March 2016 Date of last inspection: February 2011 School’s unique reference number: 123188 Headteacher: Margaret Kunzer Inspector’s name and number: Janet Northing 792

School context St Edburg’s is smaller than the national average for a primary school with 180 pupils on roll. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs (SEN) has risen significantly during this academic year and is now above the national average. Pupil mobility is high and those children known to be eligible for pupil premium is in line with other schools nationally. In September 2014 the deputy head was appointed as acting head before being substantively appointed as headteacher. In January 2016 the school moved to a new site on the Kingsmere housing development in Bicester.

The distinctiveness and effectiveness of St Edburg’s Voluntary Aided as a Church of England school are good  The Christian vision of the headteacher drives the continuing development of the school’s distinctive Christian character amidst times of challenge and change.  A breadth of regular high quality experiences, including Godly Play and Prayer Spaces, effectively nurtures each child’s spiritual development.  Links between religious education (RE), Christian values and spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development impact significantly on pupil’s sense of self worth.  The behaviour of learners is exemplary and is directly attributable to the Christian character and values of the school.

Areas to improve  Put in place a systematic and rigorous monitoring system that includes foundation governors, to secure the on-going impact of the school’s Christian distinctiveness, collective worship and RE.  Provide regular experiences for pupils to plan and lead acts of worship in order to develop their leadership skills and appreciation of the features of worship.  Set more challenging learning outcomes for pupils in RE to increase the number attaining above national expectations and so reflect the quality of the provision.

The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is outstanding at meeting the needs of all learners St Edburg’s is a church school that places Christian values at its heart. These values are rooted in the Christian commandment to love one another and inform the school motto ‘Sapere Aude – Dare to be Wise’. The Christian ethos of the school supports pupils’ personal development and wellbeing through nurturing an appreciation of their own uniqueness and sense of worth. Regular high quality experiences including Godly Play and Prayer Spaces enable learners to show maturity in their spiritual awareness well beyond their years. Positive relationships flourish as a result of the Christian values that support and inform children’s choices and decision-making. One child stating that, ‘The values teach us to make better choices and so we are a happier school.’ The impact of the Christian ethos is also evident in improving levels of academic progress that are now above the national average in reading, writing and maths. The majority of children, including those receiving pupil premium and those with SEN, make more than expected progress during their time in school. Attendance levels continue to improve. This is due to the impact of the Christian values and the support put in place by the school for individual pupils and their families. Positive links between RE, the Christian values and pupils’ SMSC development support children’s understanding and respect for diversity and difference in a number of ways. For example their awareness of Christianity as a worldwide faith is demonstrated through their involvement in a traditional Mexican Posada around Bicester as part of their Advent preparations. The strong relationship with St Edburg’s church supports children’s understanding of the role the church plays in the local community and beyond. The school’s Christian ethos motivates children to offer practical help to diverse communities or groups who are in need. During a prayer time children’s response to the plight of children in a school devastated by the recent flooding in West Yorkshire was to send chocolate bars with messages of hope.

The impact of collective worship on the school community is good Collective worship takes place in The Round, which is a sacred space in the school building. This creates a real sense of the specialness of the occasion as the school community comes together for worship. The Values for Living programme is used as a basis for worship, along with other themes that include Bible stories, Christian festivals and British celebrations. In addition worship enables the school community to respond corporately to national and international events as and when they occur. This makes worship relevant and engaging for learners and adults alike. The diversity of creative experiences that are offered during worship including music and singing, drama, prayer, reflection and silence nurtures the community’s spiritual development. The Bible is given a prominent place in worship, being open as the children enter the sacred space. A responsorial greeting is used and a candle is lit to signify God’s presence. Prayer is a meaningful element of worship with children offering heartfelt extemporary prayers in response to a particular focus. Prayer also plays a significant part in the life of the school community with regular experiences offered through Prayer Spaces and Godly Play. Pupils show spiritual perception beyond their years when articulating their understanding of the Trinity. They describe God as Father of us all, Jesus as Son and God in human form, and the Spirit as God’s wisdom to lead us in our lives. A variety of leaders deliver worship throughout the week, including the Team Rector and lay minister from St Edburg’s Church. This ensures both continuity in worship and a rich diversity of experience. Each week one class from the school attends the communion service at the church. The children take part in the readings and prayers, which further adds to their experience and appreciation of Anglican liturgy and practice. This has secured closer links between church and school despite the fact that the two are now physically further apart. Although worship is well planned there are insufficient opportunities for learners themselves to plan and lead worship. Whilst monitoring and evaluation does take place it lacks the rigour and involvement of foundation governors necessary for on-going improvement.

The effectiveness of the religious education is good RE has a high profile within the curriculum and contributes positively to the school’s Christian character, and pupils’ SMSC development. Across the school, teachers demonstrate a secure knowledge and passion for the subject. This impacts positively on the standard of teaching, which is consistently good and on occasions outstanding. The teaching of Christianity is particularly sound and enables pupils to acquire a breadth of knowledge and understanding through the learning opportunities they have. For example pupils clearly understand the significance of Easter for Christians. They readily articulate that Jesus gave up his life on the cross, that it is a celebration of his resurrection and the new life that this brings. Information Technology is integrated effectively into RE lessons so bringing a contemporary and relevant feel to the learning that is taking place. In a Year 5 lesson pupils took freeze frame photos of themselves on iPads depicting various aspects of the Passion. They went on to annotate the pictures and share them with other members of the class via the interactive whiteboard. Standards of attainment and progress are at least in line with other core subjects and sometimes higher. Children’s RE books show marking is routinely linked to the learning outcomes. Time is given for children to make improvements to their written recording. The school follows the diocesan scheme of work so enabling pupils to appreciate the beliefs, practices and value systems of other world religions in addition to Christianity. The RE subject leader took up the role in November last year and is receiving professional development through attending courses and network meetings. The quality of provision across the school indicates that more children should achieve the higher levels in RE. Monitoring and evaluation of the subject is focused on raising standards but as yet does not involve foundation governors. The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is good The headteacher resolutely promotes a vision for the school that is distinctively Christian. Under her leadership and with support from governors and staff, the school has successfully strengthened its Christian heritage in relocating to a new and contemporary setting on Kingsmere. Foundation governors readily articulate a Christian vision that seeks to place the church school at the heart of the community in which it is set. They recognise that the need to attain high academic standards must be matched by equally high aspirations of Christian pastoral care and support. The school’s Christian character impacts positively on standards of achievement for all pupils and particularly for those who are disadvantaged. All members of the school community speak positively about their sense of self worth and feel valued. A strong sense of collaboration and teamwork is evident across the school underpinned by the Christian values. The school is aware of the need for effective professional development for staff and governors in order to secure the future leadership of church schools. Following a skills audit the governing body has recruited two new governors with skills that will strengthen its overall effectiveness. Governors are also taking part in a strategic training programme run by Oxford diocese. A new RE subject leader is receiving support and relevant training to equip her for this key role in school. Arrangements for collective worship and RE fully meet statutory requirements. Links with St Edburg’s church are mutually beneficial and contribute substantially to pupil’s SMSC development. Parents and carers are supportive of the school’s Christian character and are particularly positive about the impact of the values on their children. Specific foci for development from the last inspection involving foundation governors show limited evidence of progress. Their engagement in systematic monitoring and evaluation of the school’s core Christian values, Christian character and assessment in RE remain unrealised. While some governor visits are taking place they are not sufficiently rigorous to secure the strategic and on-going development of the school as a church school.

NS 09 2013 SIAMS Inspection School Report SIAMS report March 2016 St Edburg’s CEVA Primary School Bicester OX26 1BF