Ofsted Report 2010

Below is a summary of the Ofsted report for 2010

Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.
They observed 15 lessons and seven teachers.
They held meetings with pupils, governors, the acting headteacher and other teachers with leadership responsibilities.
Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of school documentation including the school improvement plan, monitoring records, pupils’ progress records and safeguarding procedures.
Questionnaires from 77 parents and carers were received and analysed, as well as others from pupils and staff.
The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work.
It looked in detail at the following:
How high is the level of challenge in lessons to determine whether pupils make
the progress they should
How successfully the curriculum has been developed and its impact on pupils’ learning, enjoyment and achievement
What is the impact of the work of senior leaders and middle managers on driving school improvement
How effectively pupils take on their roles and responsibilities, for example in their Eco work.

Information about the school

Platt is a smaller-than-average primary school.
Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or
disabilities is below that found nationally. Their needs relate mainly to moderate
learning difficulties. The school makes provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage
in a Reception class. There is a Nursery school on the school site and a breakfast
club. These are managed by private providers and therefore not included in this
inspection. In April 2010, the deputy head teacher was appointed to the role of acting
headteacher. The school has gained the Healthy School, Eco School and Activemark awards.

Inspection judgements

Overall effectiveness: how good is the school?
The school’s capacity for sustained improvement
Main findings
Pupils, parents and carers, staff and governors are all, rightly, proud of this good
school, One parent/carer summed up the views of most and wrote, ‘A wonderful
team, friendly, approachable, understanding, helpful. I am so proud my child
attends, she enjoys every day. Systems for safeguarding pupils are outstanding,
ensuring that pupils feel extremely safe in school. The care, guidance and support
they receive are of the highest quality. Pupils take on responsibilities enthusiastically
and make an outstanding contribution to the school and wider community. The work
of the school to achieve the Healthy School and Activemark awards means that
pupils have an excellent understanding of the need for regular exercise and a
healthy, balanced diet to keep fit and well. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural
development is outstanding. The caring and Christian ethos of the school helps pupils
to learn to be tolerant and acquire understanding and makes a significant
contribution to their spiritual awareness. The pupils understand and respect the
diversity of faiths, cultures and backgrounds in their own school, for example
through Traveller Awareness Day, and in the wider community through links with
schools in other parts of the country. Attendance is average. Although most pupils
attend regularly, those from a small number of families are absent from school so
frequently that they miss out on important learning.
Pupils’ achievement and enjoyment of their learning are good. Children get off to a
good staff in the Early Years Foundation Stage. As a small school, the relatively small and fluctuating numbers in the Year 6 cohotts means that year-on-year comparisons are problematic. Although, over the past three years, some pupils have not made the expected progress from the end of Year 2 to the end of Year 6, the large majority have reached the expected levels for their age and attainment is average. However, throughout the school, pupils’work and the school’s tracking data show that all groups, including pupils with special educational needs andlor disabilities, are making good progress, In the current Year 6, most pupils are on track to achieve the expected levels and almost half are on track to achieve the higher levels in English, mathematics and science. Where there is good teaching, combined with the interesting, lively, curriculum, pupils are inspired and motivated to become independent and resourceful learners. However, there is some inconsistency in the quality of teaching throughout the school and, occasionally, expectations are not high enough, work is not sufficiently challenging and the pace of learning and progress is too slow.
The acting headteacher and senior leaders work closely together to evaluate the
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Inspection report: Platt Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School,26-27 May 2010 5 of 14
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
strengths and areas for development in the school effectively and maintain an
ambitious drive for improvement. The school engages extremely well with parents
and carers and this contributes significantly to the school’s success. The school has
successfully improved pupils’ rates of progress, which dipped to satisfactory after the
last inspection, and has a good capacity to improve further.
What does the school need to do to improve further?
I Ensure that teaching consistently matches that of the best to sustain the good
progress seen during the inspection by: pacing lessons well, so that pupils have time to get on with their learning and accomplish as much as they can
ensuring that expectations are high enough and all lessons provide the
right amount of challenge to learners. I Improve attendance by building on the excellent partnerships with parents and carers to ensure the more regular attendance of a small group of persistent absentees.
Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils
Pupils’ good behaviour and enthusiasm in lessons contributes well to their good
learning and progress. Working collaboratively and learning through problem-solving and investigative activities inspires pupils and also contributes to their good progress.
For example, in a mathematics lesson, pupils collaborated well with their paftners to solve real life problems about numbers. The skills they acquired in negotiating
helped them to decide which number operations to use and explain different ways to work out answers to the problems. The pupils worked hard and made good progress because the level of challenge and the teacher’s expectations were high. One pupil said, ‘It’s a bit hard but that’s good because it makes you think and work hard and we help each other, so if I’m stuck, he gives me good ideas.’
Pupils have good oppoftunities to use their initiative and develop their independent
learning skills well. In an English lesson linked to their work on the Vikings, pupils
were able to empathise with characters through opportunities to engage in role-play through ‘freeze frame activities, As one child said, ‘Acting it out helps me to
understand what they felt and so I’ve got lots of ideas about what to write.’
Pupils are very well informed and aware of issues affecting society as a whole
through their work as an Eco school and by promoting the principles of fair trade,
which are championed very effectively by groups representing the whole school.
Pupils take their responsibilities in class and around the school very seriously and
know they have an important contribution to make to the work of the school. For
example, the school council members, the head girl and head boy, and their
deputies, and playground pals are excellent role models for younger pupils and
effectively promote and encourage good behaviour and attitudes.