Ringsfield Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Since the headteacher took up her post three years ago, she has led the school outstandingly well, and this has resulted in the pupils' rapidly improving progress.

Leadership has correctly focused on improving teaching and raising achievement. The school has a culture that promotes outstanding behaviour and supports pupils' learning. Achievement is good because the teaching is good.

Pupils' progress has improved since the last inspection, especially in mathematics. Many pupils make outstanding progress in developing reading skills and good progress in writing. The school provides well for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged..., disabled, or who have special educational needs.

The provision in the early years is outstanding because it helps children in the Nursery and Reception classes make excellent progress and prepares them very well for Year 1. The governing body has become more effective since the last inspection through good training. Governors rigorously hold leaders to account, and this has had a clear impact on school improvement.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. The pupils are very polite and respectful to each other and to adults. Their excellent behaviour in lessons has a very positive impact on their learning.

The school provides a very caring and safe environment for pupils. Parents are very supportive of all aspects of the school's work. The school has developed an excellent curriculum which is appropriate for the mixed-age classes.

It contains a very wide range of creative topics which support pupils' learning and ensure they use their skills in different ways. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent, and pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teachers do not instil in pupils the need for careful presentation of their work robustly enough.

Pupils do not develop a sufficiently mature handwriting style from an early enough age. The resources used by teachers are not always appropriate for the objective of the task. Teachers do not always match tasks well enough to all pupils' needs and, at times, activities are too hard or too easy for different groups.

Information about this school

Ringsfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. The school is part of a hard federation with Brampton Primary School. The schools are led by the executive headteacher, who has been in post for almost three years, and each school has its own head of school.

There is a single governing body for the federation. Most pupils are of White British heritage. There are no pupils who speak English as an additional language.

Children attend the early years provision in a part-time Nursery class and a full-time Reception class. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. A broadly average proportion of pupils are disadvantaged and supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.

There is a pre-school, open in the afternoons, on the school site. This is privately run, and inspected and reported on separately. The school is too small for the government's current floor standards to apply; these set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.