Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools Report (SIAS Report)

School: Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School
  Henderson Close
  Taunton
  TA1 4TU
Status: Voluntary Aided
Diocese: Bath and Wells
Local Authority: Somerset
Date of Inspection: July 12 2007
Date of last Inspection: 4th, 13th, 14th March 2002
School's unique Ref. No: 123852
Name of Headteacher: Mrs Tracey Khodabandehloo
Chair of Governors: Mr John Blackmore
Inspector's name & NS No: Mrs Pauline Dodds (217)

School Context

Bishop Henderson Church of England School, Taunton is a large, popular school in a residential area of Taunton. There are 403 children, aged 4-11 currently on roll. The school opened in 1974 as a Voluntary Aided school within the parish of Wilton. There are close links with the two churches within the parish, St. George and St Michael the Archangel. Later additions to the school have brought it to its current size of 14 classes. There are large grassed and hard play areas, and flexibility of space for imaginative and creative teaching.

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Summary Judgement

The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Bishop Henderson Church Primary School as a Church school is outstanding.  The school provides a distinctively Christian ethos in which to educate its learners. Children's care and education are a priority, achieved by strong leadership which places Christian values at the heart of school life.

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Established Strengths

Focus for development

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The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is outstanding in the way it meets the needs of all learners

The Christian ethos of the school is greatly appreciated by children, parents and governors and contributes to the value given to every child as a unique individual. Christian values are modelled by all staff and made explicit in their dealings with children, in all policy documents and in communications with parents.  The joyful and purposeful atmosphere has a powerful impact on the children's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Furthermore, church links are woven into school life and as a result children talk openly about faith and the deeper questions of life. They claim to feel safe, supported and listened to. Links with other denominations and countries are made, with some staff learning to speak Polish to support children, with a Roman Catholic background, from Poland. Displays in classrooms and public areas proclaim the distinctive Christian character of the school, and two interactive prayer stations are used by children and visitors for quiet reflection or private prayer. Responses to questionnaires spoke of the inspiration given by these and declared Bishop Henderson School to be a place which equips children to 'face the world emotionally, morally and especially spiritually.'

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The impact of collective worship on the school community is outstanding

Worship is considered central to the life of the school and is carefully planned and monitored by the Headteacher and RE subject leader. Learners speak of the varied worship programme, of opportunities to be peaceful and quiet and the benefit of singing, acting, presentations and stories, to aid their understanding. They also appreciate the use of prayer in class, stimulated by displays, and linked to many areas of their learning. Prayers were said with the Year 6 children before each SAT test. Children are familiar with the Lord's Prayer and other Anglican responses. Major festivals are recognised and celebrated. There is a weekly staff prayer meeting and times when the Headteacher and Chaplain meet, to pray for the welfare of the school community. Collective Worship is ably led by the Headteacher, teaching staff, local clergy and Chaplain either in the school hall or local church building. There are many visual stimuli such as crosses, candles and cloths in liturgical colours, all of which give the children rich and deep experiences. The impact of the worship on the school community is therefore, considerable.

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The Religious Education is outstanding

The RE subject Leader is highly effective and in the last 18 months since her appointment, has introduced the systematic teaching and assessment of Religious Education through the agreed syllabus, and has worked with the Headteacher to complete the self-assessment toolkit and a comprehensive policy document. This has clearly had a large impact on the teaching and learning of RE in the school and has addressed the issues raised in the previous Section 23 inspection. Religious Education is extremely well-planned and thoroughly assessed, providing opportunities for learning about God and faith issues, and reflecting on the impact of faith in children's own lives. Lessons observed at both key stages during the course of the inspection were well-planned and delivered using interactive whiteboard presentations, and demonstrated that all learners have interesting and motivating experiences in Religious Education. The children's learning is often enhanced by visitors in and visits out of school, the Year 6 children being taught aspects of Anglicanism by local clergy. Children talked of the use of drama to explain biblical stories, the helpfulness of Circle Time in understanding the views of others and the respect they are taught for people of other faiths. Children's work, particularly in topic books made to mark significant learning events, shows good progress across the school, in both attainment targets. An evidence file of children's work from each year group reinforces this. The subject leader plans to develop this into a portfolio for the levelling of children’s work to measure progress over time. To support the children's learning there are good resources and a budget for their development.  All teachers are committed to high quality RE teaching and have been well supported by the subject leader, INSET and training events at the diocesan centre. Foundation governors expressed their commitment to their monitoring role, and time is given in full governor meetings for updates on RE and Collective Worship issues.

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The leadership and management of the school as a church school is outstanding

The Headteacher has a clear vision for the school as a Christian presence in the local community and with staff and governors works hard to promote this shared vision.  The strong links with the local church, where children often worship, and whose clergy are often in school are of great benefit to the children. Other members of the community are also proud to be involved in the life of the school and there are good links with the Parochial Church Council. There are mutual displays of information between school and church, to the benefit of both. These developments have brought about the appointment of a school Chaplain, of whom children, staff and parents speak proudly. The impact of her presence is visible in her relationships with parents, who attend weekly KS1 worship, and with children. The Headteacher's commitment to Christian beliefs and values is a role model for all, and ensures a good Christian education is provided for the learners. Her calm and caring leadership when the school suffered an arson attack, her determination that good would come out of the situation, and her involvement in the process of 'Restorative Justice' were an inspiration, and have contributed to the distinctiveness that is so striking at Bishop Henderson. One parent wrote: The Christian ethos at Bishop Henderson is wonderful and gives a really warm feeling to the school.  Against this backdrop the learners make very good progress in all areas of their development and the school is an outstanding example of a Church of England School.

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