National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools Report

Transcription

1 National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools Report Whitewater Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School The Street Rotherwick Hook Hampshire RG7 9BG Diocese: Winchester Local Authority: Hampshire Dates of inspection: st September 00 Date of last inspection: nd October 007 School s Unique Reference Number: 6345 Headteacher: Mr Matthew Irving Incumbent: Rev Peter Quinell Inspector s name and NS number: Mr Chris Williamson 90 School context Whitewater Church of England Primary School has 3 children on roll. Children attend from the villages of Rotherwick, Heckfield and Mattingley. There are % of the children on the Special Needs Register, 6% of the children are from ethnic minority groups and no children are entitled to free school meals. The school has Healthy Schools status (009), Sports Activemark (009) and an International Schools Award (British Council) at Foundation Level. There have been a significant number of changes to both the staffing and the governors of the school since the last inspection. The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Whitewater Primary School as a Church of England school are good Whitewater Primary School is a good school where values of care and respect for others are lived out on a daily basis within a Christian ethos. The effective leadership of the headteacher and governors together with the partnership with the local church community is evidence that it is a reflective and improving school. Established strengths The quality of relationships which based on Christian values. The nurturing and caring environment. The effectiveness of the partnership with the church. Focus for development To develop more systematic planning and delivery of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all children. To involve the children in leading aspects of collective worship. To re-establish a formal system of monitoring and evaluation of collective worship. To develop further links with worldwide Christian communities.

2 The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is good at meeting the needs of all learners Christian ethos is evident in many aspects of school life. Children feel valued, happy and secure. Children enjoy attending school and say that they feel cared for. The Christian values of the school have a significant impact on the lives of the children and encourage children s personal development. There is a spirit of cooperation in the school and children show respect for each other. Children s behaviour and attitudes are particularly good and are based on the Christian values of the school. Excellent relationships exist which are based on Christian values and principles and any issues of prejudice, discrimination and bullying are dealt with firmly, fairly and with compassion. Most children say that they feel safe and value the strategies implemented by the school, such as the use of Year 6 children as playground leaders and the use of the friendship bench. Children s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is encouraged in a variety of ways. For example the local clergy often visit the school and talk informally with the children encouraging them to explore who they are in relation to others. The school has rightly identified the need to develop a more coordinated and systematic approach to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all children. The Christian character of the school has a significant impact on children s understanding of their role in the local community. The school has identified the need to develop further its links with the worldwide Christian community. The school environment has been developed significantly and provides a stimulating place in which to learn. The children are particularly proud of their school and their grounds. The impact of collective worship on the school community is satisfactory Children enjoy and have positive attitudes to acts of worship. They demonstrate a significant level of respect for each other s views regardless of whether they have a faith or none. In the act of worship observed children were engaged and were active participants. Collective worship has been a focus for whole school development for the staff. One outcome of this has been to increase children s opportunities for participation, which they enjoy. Interactive resources have been developed for staff and as a result children now feel more involved and valued during collective worship. The school acknowledges the need to involve children in aspects of the leadership of collective worship and children say that they would welcome this opportunity since they already play a particularly active role in other areas of school life. Children are beginning to benefit from improved planning of collective worship. Themes have now been established which incorporate the church calendar as well as themes used in Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE). Children are able to relate examples from the Bible to their daily lives. There is an effective partnership with the local church. Local clergy visit the school regularly, including leading collective worship. This enhances children s understanding of Anglican traditions and practice. Recently, members of the congregation have become involved in leading weekly acts of worship. The children particularly value and appreciate these contributions from the church and they are beginning to have an impact on children s spiritual growth. Children also value their visits to church both for worship and for performances. The school is beginning to provide opportunities for the children to learn key prayers, hymns and texts from the Anglican tradition but this has yet to become embedded. The school is currently exploring opportunities to increase the range of visitors invited to lead collective worship. The school recognises the importance of gaining feedback from the children in order to assess the extent to which they derive inspiration, spiritual growth and affirmation from worship. The school has identified the need to establish formal monitoring and evaluation strategies in order to assess the impact of collective worship. There has been development in collective worship and the school has the capacity to continue this. These developments need to become more embedded for them to have significant impact on the school community. The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is good The Christian values of the school, such as care and respect for each other, honesty and compassion permeate the life of the school and are effectively promoted by the leadership and governors. Governors, together with the local church, play a significant role in ensuring that the school s Christian vision is promoted. The school has revisited its vision recently,

3 following significant changes in staffing. Clergy joined the staff in this work and were able to ensure that the Christian distinctiveness was both maintained and developed. The school has the capacity to continue to develop the promotion of its Christian vision and plans to include children, parents and governors in the revisiting of its vision. Children can articulate how the school s values influence attitudes and behaviours. The school has a positive attitude to providing opportunities for staff development and this has resulted in several promotions of staff to other church schools. The school enjoys a productive partnership with the local church and the children benefit from these pastoral and spiritual links. For example the school and the church work closely together in their celebration of Harvest including joint planning in the giving of Harvest produce and its distribution. Children are involved in a variety of local events. The choir and band play at the senior citizens Christmas party and senior citizens visit the school to see the annual Junior production. The school would like to develop further its involvement with the community. The school supports a number of charities and the school council plays a significant role in choosing which charities to support. Children are encouraged to develop a good understanding of the issues involved so that they can be discerning over their choice of charity. They also play an important role in the life of the school for example in the appointment process of new staff. The school has made links with a contrasting UK school for the Key Stage children but this has yet to become embedded and to have a significant impact on the children. SIAS Report September 00 Whitewater Church of England Primary School, The Street, Rotherwick, Hook, Hampshire RG7 9BG

4 PORTSMOUTH and WINCHESTER DIOCESAN BOARD OF EDUCATION JRF Whitewater Church of England Primary School /09/0 The school meets the statutory requirements for Collective Worship The school meets the statutory requirements for Religious Education The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Whitewater C of E Primary School as a Church of England school. Y Grade a b c d How well does the school, through its distinctive character, meet the needs of all learners? How well do the school s Christian values have an impact on all learners and enable them to flourish as individuals? How well does the Christian character support the spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development of all learners whether they are Christian, of other faiths, or of none? How well does the Christian character of the school prepare learners to become responsible citizens? How well do key Christian values motivate the relationships between all members of the school community? e How well is the spiritual development of learners enhanced by the school environment? What is the impact of Collective Worship on the school? a How positive are learners attitudes to collective worship?.5 b c To what extent do learners and staff derive inspiration, spiritual growth and affirmation from worship? How well does collective worship develop learners understanding of Anglican traditions and practice? e How effectively is the importance of worship demonstrated in the life of the school? How effective is the Religious Education provided by the school? 3a How high are the standards and how well do all learners achieve in RE? 3b How effective are learning and teaching in RE? 3c 3d To what extent do learners of all faiths and of none demonstrate a positive attitude towards RE? How well does RE contribute to the spiritual and moral development of all learners? 3e 3f 3g To what extent does RE promote the distinctive Christian character of the school To what extent does RE promote community cohesion through an understanding of and respect for diverse faith communities? How effectively is the importance of RE demonstrated in the life of the school? 4 How effective are the leadership and management of the school as a church school? 4a How well has the school leadership (including governors) engaged with distinctive Christian values in developing their vision for the school? 4b How well is this vision understood by all stakeholders? 4c How well do leaders and governors ensure that this vision is put into practice by all members of the school community? 4d How well are leaders and governors preparing for the future leadership of church schools? 4e How effective is the partnership between the school, the church and the wider community, including the parents?.5

5 Judgement Recording Form (NSJRF) This form is to be attached to the main SIAS report and returned to the diocese in which the school is situated and to the National Society. Name of school: Address of School: Whitewater Church of England V C Primary School The Street, Rotherwick, Hook, Hampshire RG7 9BG School URN: 6345 Date of inspection: st September 00 NS Inspector s Number: 90 Type of Church school: VC Number of pupils: 3 Phase of education: Primary Has Diocesan Quality Assurance been obtained for this report? Yes Rating -4 How distinctive and effective is the school as a Church school? How well does the school, through its distinctive Christian character, meet the needs of all learners? What is the impact of collective worship on the school community? 3 How effective is the religious education? How effective are the leadership and management of the school, as a church school? The school meets the statutory requirement for collective acts of worship YES The school meets the statutory requirement for religious education * * Voluntary Aided Schools (delete appropriate word