18th December2015 Dear Parents, As we approach the Christmas ...
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
18th December2015 Dear Parents, As we approach the Christmas season and the end of the first term this year, we can reflect with confidence on the progress we have made as a school. There have been a number of new initiatives we have implemented and our new teachers have started with enthusiasm and commitment. Whilst meeting all the new demands of assessment and the new curriculum, we never want to lose sight of the core purpose of our school: to ensure that every child in our school enjoys learning and is motivated to learn to their full potential. We are pleased that parents are on board with our new initiatives and have fed back positively to class teachers and all staff. Where there have been questions and unknowns, we have actively sought opportunities for discussion and open communication. As our last Ofsted in March 2014 was categorised as “Requires Improvement”, we are most likely to receive an Ofsted in March 2016 or thereabouts. So, this coming Spring term is important for us as a school, to show that we have made significant progress and to show evidence for being rated “Good”. Our next inspection will take place under another new framework introduced in September 2015. There are a number of changes to the new Ofsted framework published in September 2015: Overall effectiveness Safeguarding is the first priority: ensuring our children are safe in school at all times and that all adults have had the necessary safeguarding checks. This has always been a top Ofsted priority. Effectiveness of leadership and management: What’s new? Encourage staff to reflect on and debate the way they teach Ensure staff are involved in their own professional development and are constantly improving Views of pupils, staff and parents, working together in the education and progress of pupils Quality of teaching, learning and assessment: What’s new? Teach so that pupils love the challenge of learning and are resilient to failure Check systematically for understanding so that pupils know how to improve Give students enough time to practise what they have learnt Identify misconceptions quickly Personal development, behaviour and welfare: What’s new? Pupils able to discuss and debate in a considered way Pupils are confident and self-assured Pupils’ good attitudes to learning Outcomes for children and learners: What’s new? Thoughtful conversations about what has been learnt Progress across the curriculum including all subject areas Articulate knowledge and understanding Focus on the disadvantaged and those falling behind The effectiveness of early years: What’s new? A separate judgement is made on Early Years provision alongside the Characteristics of Learning and Prime and Specific Areas of Learning. With best regards, Mrs Claire Coulson Headteacher, Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
Ofsted Recommendations and Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School Response December 2015 update PRIORITY 1 Accelerate pupils’ progress in English and Mathematics in KS2 and raise attainment to above-average levels by: making sure that work is set at the right level of difficulty improving the ability of pupils, especially the most able, to think and reason for themselves, so that they rely less on adults to help them making sure that pupils’ written work in all subjects is always to the highest standards they can achieve Actions achieved by end of AutumnTerm 2015 : Key Stage 2: Year 6 Results 2015 validated Last year our SATs results were excellent and exceeded national on all accounts, apart from the higher level in writing. We were praised by County for the great improvement we have made. Our SATs results for our Year 6s in May 2015 were as follows: Level 4b+ (national expectation) 100% 83% 100% 100%
NATIONAL % at 4b
Level 5+ (above national expectation) 64% 17% 50% 64%
NATIONAL % at 5+
Reading 80% 48% Writing 87% 36% Maths 77% 42% Grammar, 73% 56% Punctuation and Spelling In Reading, Writing and Maths combined, 83% of pupils achieved level 4b+ and 17% of pupils achieved level 5+.
Year 6 progression Our aim is to ensure that all pupils are equipped for secondary school by the time they leave our school. We are sharing targets with pupils and our Year 6s are regularly talking about how they can improve their work with Miss McDowell. Due to the high numbers in Owl Class, an extra teacher has been employed 3 mornings a week to enable differentiation. Parents’ Consultation Evening Parents and pupils attended parents’ consultation evenings in October and these will be followed up by a further consultation evening before Spring half term. We noted that 83% of parents liked having their child present during parents’ evening whilst 17% felt it was not helpful. As a result, we would like to leave the option up to parents. Where a more
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
sensitive conversation is needed about your child’s progress, we advise you to book an alternative time or to come without your child. We want these times to be beneficial to all. Targets set with pupils At the beginning of the Spring term, all pupils will have a 1:1 consultation with their class teacher to discuss how they progressed last term and their new targets for the Spring term. These will be sent home to be shared with parents. Assessments It was good to see a good number of parents at the assessment briefing earlier on in the year. We are now in a better position to communicate about assessments. An assessment policy is being drawn up that will help parents to understand how we are tracking pupil progress. Phonics Mrs Morris, our KS1 Leader and English lead is supporting further development of phonics throughout KS1 and providing ongoing training for all staff. The resources used within KS1 have been refreshed to provide more multi-sensory opportunities for our children. Change to spelling (Key Stage 2) From Spring term we will be using year group spelling lists to reflect the new National Curriculum expectations. These will be sent home for home learning on a regular basis. We would like parents to check the homework sheet each week, which details the spellings and phonics that have been covered that week. It is always helpful to support your child by practising letter patterns as reinforcement during reading and writing activities. Early Years Foundation The work carried out with the refurb in Robin Class has had a massive impact on the environment and learning for our youngest children. Children are now able to choose their learning, inside and outdoors, in every session during the day. A new team of experienced Early Years practitioners are working together to create opportunities and challenges to ensure that children show high levels of involvement and engagement which leads to deep learning. Robin Class have started Forest School sessions once a week which has had a very positive response from children and parents. Progress in Writing Our planning for writing next term is interwoven with topic writing. Pupils will learn a particular genre of writing and then practise this style in another independent piece of work related to topic, science or RE for example. We will be using more visual stimuli for writing and first-hand experiences where possible. We are working on the development of resources to stimulate “free” independent writing. We have started to develop our “Talk for Writing” approach so that language is developed before writing.
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
English Challenge for Year 6 We were very proud of our Year 6 team, who came 3rd in their heat of the English Challenge, narrowly missing out on the Final. All of Owl Class will be taking part in the “Our Beautiful World” competition for writing, in the Spring Term. PRIORITY 2 Improve teaching so that a greater proportion of pupils make good or better progress, particularly in mathematics, by: checking more regularly in lessons on how well pupils are doing in order to correct mistakes, deal with misconceptions and deepen understanding ensuring marking is always sharply focused on what pupils need to do to improve providing pupils with planned opportunities to carry out the guidance given in marking Actions achieved by end of Autumn Term 2015: Marking and feedback Our marking and feedback has improved greatly over this term and governor visits have verified this. Introduction of MathsWhizz for Years 2 – 4 We have purchased an online resource for our Year 2, 3 and 4 pupils which provides exciting learning opportunities in maths, following the new curriculum. This can be accessed at home and its usage will be monitored by class teachers. The programme is tailor made to individual pupils’ abilities and includes lessons and games to engage pupils. Maths Planning Concentration on number and daily counting which ranges from counting in 2s, times tables and decimal reverse counting. NumberTalk sessions with training by Miss McDowell, our Maths Leader. Governor visits observed mixed ability groups accessing Number Talk sessions with great enthusiasm and varied approaches to problem-solving. Home School Agreement This has been sent home and signed by parents and pupils. We value the importance of the partnership we have with parents and pupils.
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
PRIORITY 3 Improve leadership and management by: driving forwards the current improvements in teaching and achievements at a faster rate developing pupils’ attitudes to learning so that pupils are consistently positive in all classes, take pride in their work and are motivated to achieve well Actions achieved by end of Summer Term 2015 : Leadership Miss McDowell is our Maths Leader and KS2 Leader. Mrs Morris is our English Leader and KS1 Leader. This is strengthening our school leadership overall. Pupils’ enthusiasm for learning More opportunities to develop learning skills have been given to our pupils this term: Our highlights include: Year 5/6 Wind Band project Raising money for numerous charities, both school initiated and individual pupil initiated Every child making a crumble for Harvest Rehearsing for O2 Young voices Greek Day for Years 2-4 Pro-Kick Challenge Cross Country competition KS1 Christmas Production of Babushka Christmas Encounter Day and Christingle Service Bikeability Attending Queen’s British Empire Award Entertaining Village folk at their Christmas lunch Forest Schools training for all classes Church Schools of Cambridge visit to St Andrew’s Chesterton to learn about the Parables of Jesus Producing goods for the Christmas Fayre A consistently positive attitude has been developed amongst pupils for activities and extracurricular projects. Prayers for our school Organised by the parents once a month on a Wednesday.
Church worship weekly
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
We are very grateful to Rev Becca Gilbert and Rev Marguerite Roberts for leading our church worship weekly held at St Peters, where parents are welcome each week on a Wednesday. We have also had special guests visiting to take services, including Rev Keith Tarring, one of our governors, and Rev Mike Booker from Comberton. Restorative Approach to Behaviour As a school, we have had training on Restorative approaches to behaviour and we are helping the children to understand how to solve problems with relationships.
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
18th December2015 Dear Parents, As we approach the Christmas season and the end of the first term this year, we can reflect with confidence on the progress we have made as a school. There have been a number of new initiatives we have implemented and our new teachers have started with enthusiasm and commitment. Whilst meeting all the new demands of assessment and the new curriculum, we never want to lose sight of the core purpose of our school: to ensure that every child in our school enjoys learning and is motivated to learn to their full potential. We are pleased that parents are on board with our new initiatives and have fed back positively to class teachers and all staff. Where there have been questions and unknowns, we have actively sought opportunities for discussion and open communication. As our last Ofsted in March 2014 was categorised as “Requires Improvement”, we are most likely to receive an Ofsted in March 2016 or thereabouts. So, this coming Spring term is important for us as a school, to show that we have made significant progress and to show evidence for being rated “Good”. Our next inspection will take place under another new framework introduced in September 2015. There are a number of changes to the new Ofsted framework published in September 2015: Overall effectiveness Safeguarding is the first priority: ensuring our children are safe in school at all times and that all adults have had the necessary safeguarding checks. This has always been a top Ofsted priority. Effectiveness of leadership and management: What’s new? Encourage staff to reflect on and debate the way they teach Ensure staff are involved in their own professional development and are constantly improving Views of pupils, staff and parents, working together in the education and progress of pupils Quality of teaching, learning and assessment: What’s new? Teach so that pupils love the challenge of learning and are resilient to failure Check systematically for understanding so that pupils know how to improve Give students enough time to practise what they have learnt Identify misconceptions quickly Personal development, behaviour and welfare: What’s new? Pupils able to discuss and debate in a considered way Pupils are confident and self-assured Pupils’ good attitudes to learning Outcomes for children and learners: What’s new? Thoughtful conversations about what has been learnt Progress across the curriculum including all subject areas Articulate knowledge and understanding Focus on the disadvantaged and those falling behind The effectiveness of early years: What’s new? A separate judgement is made on Early Years provision alongside the Characteristics of Learning and Prime and Specific Areas of Learning. With best regards, Mrs Claire Coulson Headteacher, Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
Ofsted Recommendations and Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School Response December 2015 update PRIORITY 1 Accelerate pupils’ progress in English and Mathematics in KS2 and raise attainment to above-average levels by: making sure that work is set at the right level of difficulty improving the ability of pupils, especially the most able, to think and reason for themselves, so that they rely less on adults to help them making sure that pupils’ written work in all subjects is always to the highest standards they can achieve Actions achieved by end of AutumnTerm 2015 : Key Stage 2: Year 6 Results 2015 validated Last year our SATs results were excellent and exceeded national on all accounts, apart from the higher level in writing. We were praised by County for the great improvement we have made. Our SATs results for our Year 6s in May 2015 were as follows: Level 4b+ (national expectation) 100% 83% 100% 100%
NATIONAL % at 4b
Level 5+ (above national expectation) 64% 17% 50% 64%
NATIONAL % at 5+
Reading 80% 48% Writing 87% 36% Maths 77% 42% Grammar, 73% 56% Punctuation and Spelling In Reading, Writing and Maths combined, 83% of pupils achieved level 4b+ and 17% of pupils achieved level 5+.
Year 6 progression Our aim is to ensure that all pupils are equipped for secondary school by the time they leave our school. We are sharing targets with pupils and our Year 6s are regularly talking about how they can improve their work with Miss McDowell. Due to the high numbers in Owl Class, an extra teacher has been employed 3 mornings a week to enable differentiation. Parents’ Consultation Evening Parents and pupils attended parents’ consultation evenings in October and these will be followed up by a further consultation evening before Spring half term. We noted that 83% of parents liked having their child present during parents’ evening whilst 17% felt it was not helpful. As a result, we would like to leave the option up to parents. Where a more
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
sensitive conversation is needed about your child’s progress, we advise you to book an alternative time or to come without your child. We want these times to be beneficial to all. Targets set with pupils At the beginning of the Spring term, all pupils will have a 1:1 consultation with their class teacher to discuss how they progressed last term and their new targets for the Spring term. These will be sent home to be shared with parents. Assessments It was good to see a good number of parents at the assessment briefing earlier on in the year. We are now in a better position to communicate about assessments. An assessment policy is being drawn up that will help parents to understand how we are tracking pupil progress. Phonics Mrs Morris, our KS1 Leader and English lead is supporting further development of phonics throughout KS1 and providing ongoing training for all staff. The resources used within KS1 have been refreshed to provide more multi-sensory opportunities for our children. Change to spelling (Key Stage 2) From Spring term we will be using year group spelling lists to reflect the new National Curriculum expectations. These will be sent home for home learning on a regular basis. We would like parents to check the homework sheet each week, which details the spellings and phonics that have been covered that week. It is always helpful to support your child by practising letter patterns as reinforcement during reading and writing activities. Early Years Foundation The work carried out with the refurb in Robin Class has had a massive impact on the environment and learning for our youngest children. Children are now able to choose their learning, inside and outdoors, in every session during the day. A new team of experienced Early Years practitioners are working together to create opportunities and challenges to ensure that children show high levels of involvement and engagement which leads to deep learning. Robin Class have started Forest School sessions once a week which has had a very positive response from children and parents. Progress in Writing Our planning for writing next term is interwoven with topic writing. Pupils will learn a particular genre of writing and then practise this style in another independent piece of work related to topic, science or RE for example. We will be using more visual stimuli for writing and first-hand experiences where possible. We are working on the development of resources to stimulate “free” independent writing. We have started to develop our “Talk for Writing” approach so that language is developed before writing.
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
English Challenge for Year 6 We were very proud of our Year 6 team, who came 3rd in their heat of the English Challenge, narrowly missing out on the Final. All of Owl Class will be taking part in the “Our Beautiful World” competition for writing, in the Spring Term. PRIORITY 2 Improve teaching so that a greater proportion of pupils make good or better progress, particularly in mathematics, by: checking more regularly in lessons on how well pupils are doing in order to correct mistakes, deal with misconceptions and deepen understanding ensuring marking is always sharply focused on what pupils need to do to improve providing pupils with planned opportunities to carry out the guidance given in marking Actions achieved by end of Autumn Term 2015: Marking and feedback Our marking and feedback has improved greatly over this term and governor visits have verified this. Introduction of MathsWhizz for Years 2 – 4 We have purchased an online resource for our Year 2, 3 and 4 pupils which provides exciting learning opportunities in maths, following the new curriculum. This can be accessed at home and its usage will be monitored by class teachers. The programme is tailor made to individual pupils’ abilities and includes lessons and games to engage pupils. Maths Planning Concentration on number and daily counting which ranges from counting in 2s, times tables and decimal reverse counting. NumberTalk sessions with training by Miss McDowell, our Maths Leader. Governor visits observed mixed ability groups accessing Number Talk sessions with great enthusiasm and varied approaches to problem-solving. Home School Agreement This has been sent home and signed by parents and pupils. We value the importance of the partnership we have with parents and pupils.
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
PRIORITY 3 Improve leadership and management by: driving forwards the current improvements in teaching and achievements at a faster rate developing pupils’ attitudes to learning so that pupils are consistently positive in all classes, take pride in their work and are motivated to achieve well Actions achieved by end of Summer Term 2015 : Leadership Miss McDowell is our Maths Leader and KS2 Leader. Mrs Morris is our English Leader and KS1 Leader. This is strengthening our school leadership overall. Pupils’ enthusiasm for learning More opportunities to develop learning skills have been given to our pupils this term: Our highlights include: Year 5/6 Wind Band project Raising money for numerous charities, both school initiated and individual pupil initiated Every child making a crumble for Harvest Rehearsing for O2 Young voices Greek Day for Years 2-4 Pro-Kick Challenge Cross Country competition KS1 Christmas Production of Babushka Christmas Encounter Day and Christingle Service Bikeability Attending Queen’s British Empire Award Entertaining Village folk at their Christmas lunch Forest Schools training for all classes Church Schools of Cambridge visit to St Andrew’s Chesterton to learn about the Parables of Jesus Producing goods for the Christmas Fayre A consistently positive attitude has been developed amongst pupils for activities and extracurricular projects. Prayers for our school Organised by the parents once a month on a Wednesday.
Church worship weekly
Ofsted recommendation and school response December 2015
Barton Church of England (VA) Primary School
We are very grateful to Rev Becca Gilbert and Rev Marguerite Roberts for leading our church worship weekly held at St Peters, where parents are welcome each week on a Wednesday. We have also had special guests visiting to take services, including Rev Keith Tarring, one of our governors, and Rev Mike Booker from Comberton. Restorative Approach to Behaviour As a school, we have had training on Restorative approaches to behaviour and we are helping the children to understand how to solve problems with relationships.
