Dent Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Dent, Sedbergh, Cumbria, LA10 5QJ

Diocese:  Bradford

Local authority: Cumbria 

School’s unique reference number: 112331

Dates of inspection:   2 February 2010

Date of last inspection:  23 & 30 January 2007

Inspector’s name and number: Mrs G. Vere      463

School context

Dent C of E Primary School is a very small rural school serving the village of Dent and surrounding hamlets and farms. There are 28 pupils on role, taught in two mixed age classes. All children are from a white British background and speak English as their first language.  Over half of the pupils rely on school transport.

The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Dent CE Voluntary Aided Primary School  as a Church of England school are good with outstanding features

The commitment and vision of the headteacher and staff, supported by a strong, experienced governing body, continue to contribute significantly to the nurture and support of all pupils in this rural primary school. Strengths have been sustained and areas for development have been addressed since the last inspection, enhancing the Christian character of the school.

                                              Established strengths

·         The distinctive, fully inclusive Christian ethos which cares for and values every individual

·         The outstanding behaviour of pupils

·         The commitment and shared Christian vision of the headteacher, staff and governors

·         The well established  mutually supportive partnership between school, parents, the church and local community

Focus for development

·         Increase pupils’ involvement in planning and leading collective worship at all levels

·         Explore alternative approaches to using the school/village hall to provide a more conducive worship environment for the number of pupils on roll

·         Develop and strengthen monitoring and evaluation skills of governors in religious education and consolidate the effective practice already in place

The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is outstanding at meeting the needs of all learners

Christian values have a strong impact on all areas of school life in this small rural Church of England primary school. They are well evidenced throughout the school and talked about frequently in worship, circle time and religious education. Pupils feel secure and valued and are comfortable in talking about their beliefs and feelings. They are keen to say how happy they are at school and how staff are ‘always there for them’. The Christian ethos of the school impacts very strongly on behaviour which is exemplary and also has a marked influence on the positive relationships which flourish between all members of the school community. The climate of pastoral care in the school enables and encourages pupils’ spiritual and moral development to prosper and encourages concerns and conflicts to be resolved quickly. Pupils enjoy their work and make good progress in mixed age classes, where teachers have a very good knowledge of individual needs. Pupils deepen their understanding of community by engaging in local partnerships and joint village projects. Engagement with a contrasting community includes a new exchange link with a Bradford school and another in Sudan through correspondence and well-received visits. Recognising the need to expand the school’s global links further, the school Improvement plan outlines an initiative with the British Council to embark on a South American school partnership. There is plentiful evidence of the school’s Christian character in signs and symbols in the entrance and other parts of the school. The range of extra-curricular activities, sometimes led by outside specialists and including sport, music and art, meets the majority of pupils’ needs and interests.

The impact of collective worship on the school community is good with some outstanding features

Worship occupies a central place in the life of the school where Christian values and the Anglican tradition are promoted and affirmed. A thoughtful act of worship at Candlemas includes music, prayer and discussion, taking place in a calm and respectful atmosphere in which pupils are extremely attentive and behave well.  A KS1 pupil comments ‘it’s a good way for us to start the day’ and other pupils say it helps them to think ‘good thoughts’. A worship table with a cross, candle and Bible provides an appropriate visual focus for worship in the large multi-functional hall.  Worship areas in the classrooms are intimate and appropriately arranged. Worship is led by staff, the vicar, who is a governor, and leaders from other churches in the area. The staff and clergy undertake the planning of collective worship while pupils, at present, contribute to the planning of class worship. The wider school and community are involved in planning joint services with the church and also outdoor school services in the village/community, fulfilling the intention of involving a wider section of the school community in worship planning. Links with the church and appreciation of the Anglican tradition are further strengthened by joint Christian festival services, in which many parents participate. Foundation governors attend worship regularly and the Methodist minister, who is a governor, monitors and evaluates the quality of provision, reporting back to governors’ meetings. Themes are sometimes discussed and evaluated by pupils in surveys and class reflections.

The effectiveness of the Religious Education is good with outstanding features

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is nurtured and reinforced by means of planned opportunities in religious education and across the curriculum.  RE promotes Christian values and enhances pupils’ growing understanding of Christian faith and practice. An outstanding KS1 lesson offered pupils an opportunity to experience God’s creation at first hand. The use of ICT, relevant artefacts, story and the school grounds produced a lively well paced lesson, where pupils were fully engaged throughout. Through a mini topic on ‘Angels as God’s Messengers’, KS2 pupils were enabled to express thoughtful ideas and emotions in discussion. In their writing about the conflicts of war and the earthquake in Haiti, they used examples from the Bible and art as a focus. The coordinator, who taught both lessons, is an experienced subject leader who has put in place assessment strategies, which are now embedded. They are based on ‘I can’ statements to monitor pupils’ progress and allow further opportunities for pupils to assess their own work. Pupils make good progress or better across the key stages. Many displays on Christian themes (e.g. ‘Creation’ and ‘What Jesus looks like’) and other artwork on cultures and other faiths (e.g. India and Hanukkah) reflect the range of themes covered in RE in which pupils present information and articulate their thoughts and feelings.  Senior leaders are formalising their systems of monitoring and review to confirm and underpin effective teaching and learning in RE.

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is good with outstanding features

The headteacher is firmly committed to promoting distinctive Christian values which are central to school life. An experienced and hard working governing body participates in all aspects of school life, supporting the Christian ethos of the school. The governors, with the headteacher and a supportive staff team, are committed to achieving further school improvement based on continuous self-evaluation. Their role as critical friend and support to the school is taken very seriously. They are fully aware of their statutory responsibilities in an aided church school, understanding and implementing effectively their responsibilities of recruitment and ensuring that the school’s distinctive Christian character is articulated. More formal procedures for monitoring and reviewing a church school are currently being explored by school leaders. The school has sustained an excellent productive relationship with the Church, through the vicar, who visits the school frequently, and through other ministers and church members who run Crazy Club (an after-school ‘Sunday School’) and projects, such as Sacred Spaces. An outstanding partnership with the community enriches provision for pupils and includes work on the refurbishment of a play area as part of the Parish Plan. Fundraising by Friends of Dent also benefits pupils and enriches their educational experiences. Parents believe that their children are valued and nurtured by all the staff within the Christian environment of the school. They feel that the leadership keeps them fully informed, listens to their views and responds to them. Opportunities to comment on aspects of school life are greatly appreciated by parents who describe the school as ‘fantastic’ and also comment that ‘without this school the village would not be a village’.