Corvedale CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Corvedale CofE Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 24 May 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings.

The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in March 2014. This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

You, the governors and senior leaders provide effective leadership to the school. Leaders regularly monitor and review the quality of teaching and the progress pupils are making. As a result, you and the governors have an accurate view of... the school, which you use well to inform your improvement plans.

You have effective procedures to track the progress pupils make, which you use consistently well throughout the year. This progress information informs the governors about how well pupils are doing in school. As a result, governors ask well-considered questions, which help them make the right decisions for the school.

For example, in September 2017, you and your governors took the decision to employ an additional teacher to enable key stage 2 pupils to be taught in smaller classes. Teachers use information about pupils' progress well to plan lessons and identify those pupils who would benefit from extra support. This year, because of effective teaching, the majority of pupils have made good progress.

However, the effect of additional support is not always evaluated closely enough and used to inform future plans. Since the last inspection, you and your leaders have identified ways to make improvements to the quality of teaching in reading, writing and mathematics. These improvements are having a positive effect on the progress pupils are making.

For example, the school's new approach to reading is resulting in strong improvements to pupils' skills and understanding in all year groups. Teachers plan interesting opportunities for pupils to write in lessons. Pupils' books show that they write stories, information texts, accounts and letters.

The effect of this is that pupils are increasingly motivated to write more and they are using adventurous vocabulary to express their ideas. You and your leaders rightly identify the need to continue to improve pupils' spelling, grammar and punctuation. Parents and carers value the work you do and recognise the improvements that leaders make to the school.

They spoke positively about the online resources for reading and mathematics that you have made available for them to use at home. One parent said: 'The school provides care and support, which enable children to become good learners and develop in their self-confidence.' Pupils enjoy coming to school and their behaviour is typically good.

Pupils are confident in lessons, inquisitive and eager to learn. For example, pupils in a history lesson wrote thoughtful and well-prepared questions in response to studying a map about the Great Fire of London. You and your teachers are addressing the areas for improvement from the last inspection.

Teachers are making effective use of the new mathematics programme to provide challenge and problem-solving tasks for pupils. Links are made across other curriculum subjects, which provide pupils with opportunities to apply their new skills. For example, in science, younger pupils use bar graphs and older pupils use line graphs to record their findings.

However, you agree that pupils must apply their mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills more to ensure that they all make at least average progress. Safeguarding is effective. The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose.

As part of checking these arrangements, leaders have recently commissioned a safeguarding audit. The persons responsible for safeguarding attend frequent training and provide updates to staff so that they are clear about how to recognise potential abuse or neglect and how to raise concerns. Governors take their responsibilities for safeguarding seriously and have taken part in relevant training.

The governor who has responsibility for safeguarding regularly meets school leaders to ensure that staff training is up to date and that the procedures for checking and vetting staff and visitors are complete. Pupils are safe and well cared for. They are taught how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum.

For example, pupils are taught about online safety and stranger danger. Parents spoken to during the inspection and those who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, said that they are confident that you keep their children safe and that they feel confident to raise any concerns with you. Inspection findings ? The leadership team has a consistent focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning.

Leaders have worked with the local authority adviser and other schools to review and validate their work. For example, staff visit other schools to moderate their judgements on pupils' attainment and progress. They undertake reviews of pupils' books with the local authority adviser to evaluate the progress pupils make.

• The engaging curriculum provides pupils with broad experiences to learn about the world they live in. It effectively promotes the school's values and the school motto of 'Love learning, love life'. Your 'Wonderful Wednesday afternoons' are a time when pupils of all ages come together in their house groups to participate in activities which support the school values, including, for example, pupils being active.

This term, pupils are taking part in drama, and art lessons in the school grounds. ? You and your teachers rightly identify that the teaching of writing and mathematics remains a focus for improvement. Even so, teachers have high expectations of pupils' presentation and handwriting; consequently, handwriting is strong across all year groups.

Typically, improvements in pupils' writing this year include moving from writing that was limited in content and hard to read to writing that is now clear, legible, fluent and includes a range of interesting vocabulary. ? Phonics teaching is strong in the school. Lessons are lively and engaging.

Pupils learn the technical vocabulary and show confidence in applying their phonics skills when reading. Leaders have arranged visits by teachers from other schools to share best practice. ? Teaching in the early years is strong.

Children know the routines well and are confident in class. The early years leader carefully collects evidence to track children's progress and provide additional support when needed. Children make good progress and, consequently, they are well prepared for key stage 1.

A number of children who joined the school with only simple mark-making skills now write in short sentences, spell some words correctly and use capital letters for names. ? Additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is used well. Leaders track their progress and carefully plan support.

This results in pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities making good progress. The attainment of disadvantaged pupils is in line with that of other pupils in the school. ? The school encourages pupils to respect each other.

Staff inspire pupils to appreciate difference and the importance of being part of a community. Pupils learn about different faiths and visit different places of worship. Parents value how leaders and teachers involve them in the school community.

For example, in recognition of Mother's Day, the school hosts a lunch for grandmothers, mothers and their children. It was very well attended this year, with over 130 hot meals being served. Leaders are now planning a similar lunch for Father's Day.

Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? teachers plan and deliver highly focused, interesting mathematics lessons which make sure that all pupils are challenged to develop and apply strong reasoning and problem-solving skills ? teachers continue to provide further writing opportunities, but focus on improving pupils' spelling, punctuation and grammar ? teachers routinely use the assessment and tracking information to provide well-planned interventions to support pupils, and evaluate their impact. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Hereford, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Shropshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely Amanda Clugston Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection During the inspection, I met with you, members of the governing body and the local authority school improvement adviser. I met with parents at the beginning of the school day and took account of the 27 responses to Ofsted's online questionnaire, Parent View. I reviewed a range of documents, including your self-evaluation, school development plan, and assessment and progress information, as well as documents relating to safeguarding, staff recruitment checks and child protection procedures.

I visited classes with you to observe teaching and learning. I spoke to pupils and staff. I looked at pupils' work, both in and out of lessons.