Cumnor C of E Primary School Inspection report Unique reference number 123146 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 380606 Inspection dates 22–23 February 2012 Lead inspector John Earish This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Millin Headteacher Heather Broom Date of previous school inspection 12–13 September 2006 School address Oxford Road Cumnor OX2 9PQ Telephone number 01865 862337 Fax number 01865 865591 Email address [email protected] Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 22–23 February 2012 Inspection number 123146 Inspection report: Cumnor CofE Primary School, 22–23 February 2012 2 of 12 You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. 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Piccadilly Gate Store St Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: [email protected] W: www.ofsted.gov.uk © Crown copyright 2012 Inspection report: Cumnor CofE Primary School , 22–23 February 2012 3 of 12 Introduction Inspection team John Earish Additional inspector Nicola Harwood Additional inspector This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspectors visited 16 lessons taught by nine teachers, and also made a number of shorter observations. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, staff and representatives of the governing body. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at monitoring and assessment information and teachers’ planning. They listened to pupils read, and scrutinised pupils’ books. Questionnaires from staff and pupils were analysed, as well as 111 questionnaires received from parents and carers. Information about the school This is an average sized primary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage, with a small number from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs varies from year to year but is lower than the national average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below the national average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school has achieved a number of external accreditations, including Healthy Schools’ status, the Eco School Silver Award and Investors in People. The school has been through a period of considerable change since the last inspection, with the appointment of a new headteacher just over three years ago and a number of recent changes to staffing. Inspection report: Cumnor CofE Primary School, 22–23 February 2012 4 of 12 Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms Inspection judgements Overall effectiveness 4 Achievement of pupils 4 Quality of teaching 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils 3 Leadership and management 4 Key findings In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement. The school is not satisfactory because some teaching is inadequate and not enough is good, achievement is inadequate, and leadership and management are ineffective. Standards have declined since the last inspection and pupils’ progress overall is inadequate by the end of Year 6. However, children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make a good start to their education and achieve well. Despite some recent improvements in the quality of teaching at Key Stage 2, and evidence that good teaching consistently takes place in the Early Years Foundation Stage, the quality of teaching overall is inadequate over time because pupils do not make enough progress by the time they leave school. Teaching and learning are inadequate at Key Stage 1. There are significant weaknesses in leadership and management. Staff do not share a vision for success and they lack confidence in school leadership, resulting in low morale. The governing body does not hold the school to account for its performance sufficiently well. The leadership of teaching and the management of performance are not sufficiently rigorous to improve pupils’ achievement rapidly. The curriculum has been strengthened at Key Stage 2 but it remains inadequate at Key Stage 1, especially in writing and mathematics. Most pupils say they enjoy school and feel safe. They attend regularly and behave satisfactorily. Pupils work best when they understand what they must achieve and are given opportunities to explore their own ideas and learn from their mistakes. Inspection report: Cumnor CofE Primary School, 22–23 February 2012 5 of 12 What does the school need to do to improve further? Improve teaching and eradicate any that is inadequate by ensuring that: pupils are made fully aware of what they need to learn work provides appropriate challenge, particularly for middle ability and more able pupils pupils are involved more in assessing for themselves how well they are doing so they can take on more responsibility for their own learning. Raise pupils’ achievement by: telling pupils clearly how to improve their work improving the curriculum at Key Stage 1, especially in writing and mathematics. Improve the quality and effectiveness of leadership and management and rebuild the school’s capacity for sustained improvement by: ensuring that all staff work together to achieve a shared vision for the school’s success that is supported by all members of the community holding staff to account for the learning and progress in their classes and areas of responsibility ensuring the governing body hold senior leaders fully accountable for the school’s performance strengthening the school’s improvement plan so that it provides a clear focus for action to drive up standards and improve the quality of teaching and learning. Main report Achievement of pupils Although there are pupils who do achieve well and enjoy learning, overall, pupils’ achievement is inadequate because learning and progress are not consistently good enough across the school. From starting points that are typically above those expected for their age, most children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents and carers agree and are pleased with the progress their children make. They make good progress in their social skills, in their understanding of how letters are linked to sounds (phonics) and in the development of writing and number skills. The majority of children are working securely within Level 1 of the National Curriculum by the start of Year 1, which is a year ahead of the standard expected of five-year-olds. This rate of progress is not, however, maintained across all classes. Attainment has been declining in all subjects for a number of years from well above average to broadly average by the time pupils leave the school. Last year, reading was above average at the end of Year 2 and broadly average by Year 6, but pupils’ progress is uneven across classes and their attainment should be higher. A number of parents and carers wrote expressing their concerns about the decline in the school’s performance. Inspectors found there is a legacy of underachievement that has still to be addressed. Inspection evidence shows that recent improvements Inspection report: Cumnor CofE Primary School, 22–23 February 2012 6 of 12 to the quality of teaching at Key Stage 2 are enabling pupils to make accelerated progress and to catch up some of the work they have missed, but more remains to be done.