Clifton Hampden Church of England Primary School

Inspection report

Unique Reference Number	123127
Local Authority	Oxfordshire
Inspection number	359368
Inspection dates	18—19 November 2010
Reporting inspector	David Carrington

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	59
Appropriate authority	The governing body
Chair	Lisa Penton
Headteacher	Lindsay Priddle
Date of previous school inspection	16 October 2007
School address	Clifton Hampden
	Oxfordshire
	Abingdon OX14 3EE
Telephone number	01865 407700
Fax number	01865 407700
Email address	head.3183@ocnmail.net

Age group	4—11
Inspection dates	18—19 November 2010
Inspection number	359368

The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. They observed seven lessons led by three teachers. Meetings were held with the headteacher, school staff and members of the governing body. The inspectors observed the school's work, and looked at school planning, assessment data, samples of pupils' work, the school's monitoring of the quality of teaching and a number of policy documents. The team received 40 questionnaires from parents and carers and also evaluated those from school staff and the pupils.

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following.

How far all staff and the governing body work as a team with the acting headteacher to ensure that provision and results are the best possible.

The degree to which the school has formed positive links with people in other parts of the United Kingdom and overseas.

The extent to which the results of assessment are used to set challenging targets for pupils that are evaluated openly in class.

Whether the school has formed strong partnerships with other schools and agencies in order to meet the needs of each pupil effectively.

Information about the school

Clifton Hampden Church of England Primary is a small primary school. The pupils live locally and nearly all come from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is low. A very small proportion of pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

The acting headteacher was appointed in September 2009. There have recently been proposals for a federation of local schools involving Clifton Hampden Church of England Primary School. These have not gone forward.

The school has Healthy Schools status and has been awarded the Activemark.

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: how good is the school?	2

The school's capacity for sustained improvement	2

Main findings

Clifton Hampden Church of England Primary is a good school. It has maintained its strengths well during the recent change of headteacher and the inconclusive negotiations for a local federation of schools. There are a number of outstanding features. Behaviour is first class, pupils have a very marked understanding of how to keep safe and healthy and the quality of care, guidance and support is outstanding.

Two aspects of the school's work are satisfactory rather than good. The promotion of community cohesion does not extend widely enough to involve pupils in direct contact with children in other parts of the United Kingdom. However, their links with children in other countries are being extended well by partnerships with schools in Mexico and China. The pupils also take a good role in the local community. The use of assessment to focus pupils' learning precisely is inconsistent. There are some good examples of discussions in class to help pupils understand their targets and how to achieve them. The same is apparent in teachers' marking of books. There are differences in quality, however, between different year groups and subjects, with the focus on next steps in learning in literacy more apparent than in mathematics.

Because expectations are good, the work set for pupils is usually challenging and well motivating. There is clearly much enjoyment of learning and lessons are often fun and exciting. They go at a brisk pace. Pupils make good progress in lessons and their attainment is above average. Some of their writing is very expressive and in mathematics the current Year 6 group are working at a high standard. Children in Reception are making good progress too. They are well taught and enjoy the different activities provided for them indoors and outdoors. They are intrigued by the aliens that might live in space and show good imagination and enterprise in talking and acting in this role.

The staff, governing body and acting headteacher work in good partnership. They are ambitious for the pupils and keen to improve the school's work so that it becomes outstanding. They know what needs attention to enable this improvement. School improvement planning is good and is based on trustworthy self-evaluation. The school's good partnerships with local schools, organisations and individuals are enabling it to provide a well-planned and stimulating curriculum. The school has made steady improvement since its previous inspection and has good capacity to maintain its advance. Parents and carers recognise its strengths and potential. Hardly any have significant concerns about the school.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

Consolidate the use of assessment to support learning by:

ensuring the targets for pupils' learning are shared clearly at the start of each lesson and reviewed with them as the session progresses

making sure pupils always have ample time in lessons to talk to each other about their learning

including opportunities for pupils to write briefly from time to time about their own successes and difficulties in learning in response to teachers' marking of their work

checking that displays in classrooms and around the school reflect the ambitious targets set for the pupils.

Strengthen the pupils' direct links with children in other parts of the United Kingdom.

Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils	2

Attainment has been maintained at above average levels for many years. The recent unsettled period was not allowed to change that. The current Year 6 pupils are enjoying considerable success and working at above average levels. At least half of them are producing work that is more usually found in the first year of secondary school. In mathematics, some of the work is more advanced than that. The pupils are confident in algebraic calculation and quite complex data handling. Last year, school leaders identified relative weaknesses in pupils' problem-solving skills. This year, the oldest pupils are able to make a thorough analysis of problems and show flexible methods in solving them, for example in identifying whether the mean, median or mode of a range of data is the most appropriate measure of average.

Good progress is evident throughout the school. It starts in Reception where the work is well planned to enable children to build skills and knowledge at a good rate in all six areas. Year 1 and 2 pupils continue this good progress. In their music lesson, they were fascinated by the range of percussion instruments from different countries and enthusiastically investigated how different sounds could be made, especially loud ones. The pupils in the Year 3 to 6 class are also successful learners. They progress well in English and mathematics as a result of separation into two distinct age groups, younger and older, for this work.

The pupils very much enjoy school. Attendance is broadly average and absence is due to unavoidable illness rather than other reasons. The pupils are well involved in the school and local community. The older pupils planned and managed fund-raising events for Children in Need during the inspection. The tea and biscuit session was very well attended by parents and carers. True to their very good mathematical abilities, the pupils showed entrepreneurial skill with flair as they meticulously ensured everything was paid for and kept track of the takings. It was evident that these pupils are well prepared for secondary school.

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹ The quality of pupils' learning and their progress The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress	2
	2
	2
	2
The extent to which pupils feel safe	1
Pupils' behaviour	1
The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles	1
The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community	2
The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹	2
	3
The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development	2

¹ The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low

How effective is the provision?

The pupils say that lessons are fun and interesting. They think they are well taught, which is also the judgement of their parents and carers. The observation of lessons and study of work in pupils' books show consistently good teaching. Lesson planning is well focused on the learning needs of different groups of pupils. Planning for the few pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is detailed and linked well to their targets. Together with effective support provided in the classroom this enables these pupils to make good progress.

The staff know that the use of assessment to encourage faster progress is not yet effective enough. In response they have changed the way they share targets, show how well the pupils are achieving them and keep pupils informed of what requires improvement. At present, the targets for learning are neither prominent in classroom displays nor identified consistently at the start of lessons. The marking of pupils' books is regular and usually informative but it does not always give enough information about the next steps in learning. The pupils have more opportunities to write about their own learning in their English books than in mathematics books. School leaders consider this may be a factor in a few parents' and carers' views that not enough is shared with them about their children's learning.

The school has developed a curriculum that provides very successfully for pupils' personal, social and health education. The Healthy Schools status and award of the Activemark are indicators of the success it has in promoting pupils' outstanding awareness of healthy lifestyles. It draws on its good partnerships with others to enliven the curriculum with out-of-school activities and special themes that are very popular with the pupils. While the curriculum meets the broad range of pupils' needs it is not honed to ensure each pupil has a personalised experience. School leaders have correctly identified that better use of assessment to support learning is the essential step towards the provision of an outstanding curriculum.

Staff ensure that the safety, health and welfare of pupils are put first. Parents and carers are unanimous that one of the chief strengths of the school is to be found in its small size and friendly and happy ethos. They believe that the pupils are particularly well cared for. This is indeed the case. Staff are vigilant and respond quickly to pupils' worries, problems or difficulties. Pupils respect and like their teachers because they are confident that they are supported and advised with wisdom.

These are the grades for the quality of provision

The quality of teaching Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning	2
	3
The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships	2
The effectiveness of care, guidance and support	1

How effective are leadership and management?

The drive for ever better quality in the school's work is apparent in discussion with staff and the governing body. The improvement priorities in the school development plan are ranked according to the degree of influence they will have on pupils' progress. The targets within the priorities are measurable for success and in some cases explicit expectations are included. Thus, the ambition of leaders to increase progress and attainment is identified clearly. This good ambition is not always demonstrated clearly around the school as displays do not make overt enough reference to the essential priorities and targets of the school.

The governing body adopts a probing approach to its work and has ensured the school meets its obligations to promote community cohesion well. Governors know that the partnership with groups in other parts of the United Kingdom is what prevents this work becoming outstanding but have already established good links with schools overseas. Similarly, the safeguarding of pupils is reliable and well thought out. A very few safeguarding documents do not identify responsibilities clearly enough, although all procedures and systems are effective in practice and pupils are kept safe in school. There is absolutely no tolerance of discrimination of any form.

The acting headteacher has high expectations and leads the school very effectively. She managed the uncertainty surrounding the fruitless proposal regarding the federation of schools with expertise and determination. She is respected by staff, the governing body, parents and carers, and pupils alike. The staff share her aspirations to improve pupils' progress further. Together they have ensured good opportunities for every pupil to succeed. The positive partnership with parents and carers is founded on clear lines of communication and a willingness to listen and respond to praise, ideas and concerns.

These are the grades for leadership and management

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning	2
	2
The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met	2
The effectiveness of the school's engagement with parents and carers	2
The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being	2
The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination	2
The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures	2
The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion	3
The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money	2

Early Years Foundation Stage

The clearly expressed ambition to enable all children in the Early Years Foundation Stage to achieve well is at the root of the good leadership of the phase. School leaders have developed provision in Reception that enables the children to work as a separate age group for some of the time and then to join with Year 1 and 2 pupils for other activities. This arrangement works well. The children have access to well-resourced indoor and outside areas. They are able to choose from a rich range of learning experiences and show great enthusiasm for their work. The Reception children enjoyed planning a picnic by the play house. They chose from a variety of foods and included a cabbage because it was healthy. They were not sure that they would have cabbage sandwiches though.

The children make good progress. They start with the level of skills and knowledge expected of children of their age. By the time they join Year 1 they reach nearly all of their targets and some exceed them. The children talk confidently to each other and adults, and show good use of vocabulary. They readily count back from ten when launching a rocket, though sometimes the numbers are in the wrong sequence. Nevertheless, the children try hard and meet with much success. They particularly enjoy working and playing with older pupils, who in turn are pleased to be able to help their young friends.

As in the rest of the school, the use of assessment to support learning is not fully developed. The choices made by the children are not displayed with prominence in the classroom although it is apparent that the children are expected to work independently and do so effectively.

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage	2
	2
	2
	2

Views of parents and carers

There was a high return rate for the parents' and carers' questionnaire. Parents and carers are unanimous in their praise for the school. A very few wrote of their concerns, especially about the information they receive about their children's progress. However, their concerns were expressed in a very positive way and everyone identified that they were happy with the school's work and how it helps their children do well. School leaders are ready to improve the way they share information about pupils' progress, especially as a result of improved use of assessment to identify learning targets and progress towards them. The outcomes of the inspection are similar to parents' and carers' views.

Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Statements	Strongly agree		Agree		Disagree		Strongly disagree
	Total	%	Total	%	Total	%	Total	%
My child enjoys school	36	90	4	10	0	0	0	0
The school keeps my child safe	34	85	5	13	0	0	0	0
My school informs me about my child's progress	26	65	13	33	0	0	0	0
My child is making enough progress at this school	24	60	15	38	0	0	0	0
The teaching is good at this school	31	78	9	23	0	0	0	0
The school helps me to support my child's learning	32	80	8	20	0	0	0	0
The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle	28	70	10	25	0	0	0	0
The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment)	21	53	13	33	0	0	0	0
The school meets my child's particular needs	31	78	7	18	0	0	0	0
The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour	22	55	13	33	0	0	0	0
The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns	30	75	9	23	0	0	0	0
The school is led and managed effectively	26	65	14	35	0	0	0	0
Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school	37	93	3	8	0	0	0	0

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

Glossary

What inspection judgements mean

Grade	Judgement	Description
Grade 1	Outstanding	These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs.
Grade 2	Good	These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.
Grade 3	Satisfactory	These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.
Grade 4	Inadequate	These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

Overall effectiveness of schools

	Overall effectiveness judgement (percentage of schools)
Type of school	Outstanding	Good	Satisfactory	Inadequate
Nursery schools	58	36	4	2
Primary schools	8	43	40	9
Secondary schools	10	35	42	13
Sixth forms	13	39	45	3
Special schools	33	42	20	4
Pupil referral units	18	40	29	12
All schools	11	42	38	9

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously.

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 March 2010 and are the most recently published data available (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn and spring terms 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.

Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement:	the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.
Attainment:	the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.
Capacity to improve:	the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.
Leadership and management:	the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.
Learning:	how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.
Overall effectiveness:	inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.
	The school's capacity for sustained improvement. Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils. The quality of teaching. The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships. The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.
Progress:	the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

This letter is provided for the school, parents and
carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's
main findings from the inspection of their school.

22 November 2010

Dear Pupils

Inspection of Clifton Hampden Church of England Primary School, Abingdon OX14 3EE

Thank you for giving us a warm welcome when we visited your school recently. We discovered that your behaviour is excellent and that you try hard to do well. We also found that you have very good ideas about how to keep healthy and safe.

In our report we write about the strengths at your school. Overall we think you go to a good school. You are making good progress and reaching above average standards. This is because you are well taught and learn about many new things in all the subjects you study.

Your parents and carers told us that the staff look after you really well. We checked this and saw that all the adults in school want to help you do well. They make sure your learning is fun and interesting.

We judge that your school is well run. You are expected to do your best and all the staff share this ambition. We have found that your school is improving well. There are two particular things that can be improved further:-

You could be given more chances to think and talk about your targets and how well you are reaching them.

You could have stronger links with children in other parts of this country.

You impressed us with your eagerness to learn well. You could now tell your parents and carers and your teachers how well you think you are learning. Perhaps you could make a list of what you can do well and the things you find difficult. Give a copy to your teachers and another to your parents or carers.

Yours sincerely

David Carrington

Lead inspector

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 1234 234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.