Lyneham Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 1–2 February 2012 Inspection number 381825 Lyneham Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 135177 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 381825 Inspection dates 1–2 February 2012 Lead inspector Tony Shield

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 271 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Amy Harvey Headteacher Julie Carr Date of previous school inspection 31 March – 1 April 2009 School address Preston Lane Lyneham Chippenham Wiltshire SN15 4QJ Telephone number 01249 890413 Fax number 01249 890984 Email address admin@lynehamprimary.wilts.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Clementina Ogunsanwo Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed 20 lessons taught by 15 teachers. They held meetings with members of the governing body, the headteacher, staff and three groups of pupils. There were insufficient comments from parents and carers on the online questionnaire (Parent View) for inspectors to take account of their views in planning the inspection. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at the school development plan, safeguarding policies, attendance data, minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s assessment data, and planning documentation. Inspectors met informally with some parents and carers and scrutinised questionnaires completed by 116 parents and carers.

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Information about the school

Lyneham Primary School is slightly larger than most primary schools. It largely serves children of service families based at RAF Lyneham. As a result, the proportion of pupils who join or leave the school part-way through each year is exceptionally high. The school faces additional disruption due to the imminent closure of the RAF base. Most pupils are of White British heritage although there are an increasing number of pupils from a range of different ethnic heritages. Almost all speak English as their first language. The proportion known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is broadly average. Most of these pupils have needs pertaining to moderate learning difficulties or behavioural, emotional or social problems or speech, language or communication needs. Last year, the school was below government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides for reception-aged children. The school manages an on-site breakfast club. The school has gained awards in recognition of its work to promote a healthy lifestyle, sports and international understanding. It has also been awarded the Values Education Quality Kitemark. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a good school. Improvements in recent years have been marked and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics is good. The school provides exceptional levels of care and welfare for some particularly vulnerable pupils.  Children get off to a ‘flying start’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage exactly as the school’s motto states. Provision in the Reception Year is stimulating and vibrant and children quickly settle to school routine making good progress across all areas of learning.  Teaching has improved considerably since the previous inspection. Teaching in most lessons is good and pupils respond with energy and commitment to teachers’ high expectations and enthusiastic approach.  Although work in lessons is carefully planned, tasks are not always geared to individual pupil’s needs or to build on their prior learning successfully, particularly for some pupils of average ability. In addition, guidance to ensure

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Key findings

pupils know how to improve is not sufficiently clear in some cases.  Pupils are well behaved around the school and show kindness and courtesy to each other and adults. In lessons, they take work seriously and these responsible attitudes make a significant contribution to their good progress. Pupils report they feel safe in school and all parents and carers say they have confidence in the school to keep their children safe.  The headteacher’s insightful leadership has inspired a culture of improvement and leaders at all levels make a strong contribution to developing the school’s provision. Rigorous procedures to check the work of the school ensure accurate self-evaluation. The school’s upward trajectory and impressive track record of improvement demonstrate its strong capacity for sustaining further improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate progress in writing and mathematics, particularly for some pupils of middle ability by:  making sharper use of assessment to set work that builds on individual Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

pupils’ prior attainment  ensuring that guidance to pupils, both written and oral, on how to improve is clear and followed up.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ achievement in lessons observed during the inspection and evident in their books is good. This is consistent with the school’s own analysis of rapidly improving progress since September 2011. Attainment in all years in reading, writing and mathematics is broadly average. Provision is carefully tailored to individual needs as a result of ongoing assessment of progress and expertly managed to ensure children make good progress from their often below average starting points. Children are encouraged to develop their language skills through skilful questioning, role play and speaking. Good progress is maintained through Key Stage 1. At the end of Year 2, most pupils, including the few from minority ethnic heritages, have developed confident reading skills. Even the more hesitant readers have secure skills in sounding out the letters and making sense of unfamiliar words. The school has successfully implemented a range of interventions to support underachieving

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Achievement of pupils

readers. As one parent commented, ‘Our son was given extra support and we are very pleased with the progress made and the leaps he made in a short space of time.’

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Achievement of pupils

Although progress through Key Stage 2 has been more uneven than in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, this is changing and inspectors agree with the very large majority of parents and carers who believe their children make good progress. Gaps in performance are narrowing and improving compared with all pupils nationally and attainment and progress are now judged above government floor standards. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make increasingly good progress across all subjects because of the carefully targeted support and interventions given to them. By the time pupils reach Year 6, able pupils read fluently and with good expression. They also demonstrate confidence in their writing as in one lesson observed in which Year 5 pupils wrote about the release of an osprey caught in a fisherman’s net. The school has successfully raised the bar for more-able pupils through increasing the level of challenge in tasks set. Work to

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Achievement of pupils

narrow the gap between the performance of girls and boys has also been successful. The small number of pupils with English as an additional language also achieve well. However some middle ability pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.

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Quality of teaching

Good teaching is a feature of the large majority of lessons. Most parents and carers agree that teaching is good. At the heart of the good teaching are the good relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils know teachers care for them and Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Quality of teaching

believe in them to do their best. Most pupils also agree that teaching is good. Teachers successfully generate positive attitudes to learning, through the lively and engaging curriculum. In the most effective lessons, pupils work independently and creatively. For example in a Year 3/4 mathematics lesson, pupils enthusiastically took up the challenge of devising games and problems to practise their subtraction skills. In this instance, tasks were well matched to the wide range of abilities in the class and, as a result, all pupils made good progress. Sometimes however, some pupils of middle ability in particular miss out because work is either too easy or too difficult for them. Teaching assistants work well in partnership with the teachers and this ensures disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well supported and make good progress.

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Quality of teaching

Typically in lessons, pupils work hard and know what they are trying to achieve. Teachers set high expectations of behaviour and how to work together. This makes a strong contribution to pupils’ social and moral development. A brisk pace is set. Effective questioning makes pupils think more deeply and gives teachers an opportunity to assess how well their pupils understand. At times, teachers plan work and set tasks which do not build sufficiently on pupils’ prior attainment. A small minority of pupils say they do not know how well they are doing at school and the quality of feedback both oral and written is not always sufficiently precise. While marking is regular and always encouraging, it sometimes does not explain clearly enough how the work might be improved. Rarely is it followed through to ensure pupils have taken the comments on board in their next piece of work. Some of the best use of assessment was observed in the Early Years Foundation Stage where

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Quality of teaching

regular ongoing assessment is used effectively to plan the nextsteps for individual children.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are polite and courteous. They respond well to the strong promotion of the school values and only need a gentle reminder of their responsibilities to themselves and others when in lessons. As a result, pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons, around the school and during playtime. At times, a small number of vulnerable pupils experience difficulties which can affect their behaviour. The school supports these pupils well and provides closely tailored and sensitively managed support through a dedicated team of emotional well-being support assistants. This approach is typical of the school’s proactive work with potentially vulnerable pupils and their families.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Good attitudes and behaviour are initially developed very effectively in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and pupils build on this early experience as they move through the school. However, the school’s inclusive ethos ensures pupils who join the school mid-term are quickly aware of its expectations with regard to behaviour. The school manages the emotional casualties of high pupil mobility with sensitivity. Most parents, carers and pupils say that behaviour is good and pupils are confident that any occasional misbehaviour in lessons is managed effectively so as to minimise disruption. Exclusions are rare, but used appropriately and correctly when applied. Pupils say bullying of any type is rare and procedures to deal with it are effective. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school is a safe environment and parents and carers are confident in their children’s safety while at school. Pupils too recognise that school is a safe place to be. Attendance is broadly average and punctuality is good.

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Leadership and management

The driving force behind the school’s rapid improvement is the headteacher's ambition and vision. She communicates clearly with staff, who share the school’s values and commitment to do the best for every child. The school’s values are woven into its fabric and provide a framework for everything the school promotes. As a result, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and one of the school’s strengths. Given the exceptional level of pupil mobility, the sense of community and support which this engenders helps ensure that pupils settle quickly and are made to feel reassuringly at home. Assemblies are respectful occasions and during the inspection, pupils sensibly took the opportunity to reflect carefully on their personal qualities and their role within the school community. The broad and balanced curriculum is good and leads to lively and engaged learners, because the pupils themselves help to initiate learning themes and topics are chosen to make

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Leadership and management

The governing body makes an important and effective contribution. It is well informed and, while maintaining its support for a hard-working staff, is unafraid to question and challenge. The school fulfils its statutory duty to safeguard pupils and tackle discrimination. Teachers are alert to the potential for underachievement by individuals and groups, and are committed to inclusion and the promotion of equal opportunities. In this respect, the school works successfully with different groups of parents and carers. Interventions are planned for pupils at risk of underachievement. As a result, there are no significant differences between the achievement of different groups and gaps are narrowing.

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Leadership and management

The school has strengthened its procedures for checking the work of the school and for tracking the progress of pupils. In this, all senior and middle leaders are playing an important role. Performance data are carefully analysed and this in turn leads to accurate and realistic self-evaluation. Appropriate plans for improvement underpin the school’s work and the impact of this has been seen in greater consistency in the quality of teaching, raised attainment, particularly in mathematics, and good progress by almost all pupils. Given the school’s impressive track record of improvement and its well-considered improvement plan, which aims to consolidate success and drive further improvement, the school has good capacity to improve.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Lyneham Primary School, Chippenham SN15 4QJ

Thank you for your help during the recent inspection of your school. We particularly enjoyed meeting you and talking with some of you. We agree with what you told us: your school is a good school and everyone is working well to make it even better.

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Inspection of Lyneham Primary School, Chippenham SN15 4QJ

 The school takes extremely good care of you, and you told us you feel safe and that there is always an adult to turn to if you are worried. You behave well and we saw many examples of kind and thoughtful behaviour during our visit. You are particularly good at welcoming newcomers to the school and overcoming sadness when some of your friends leave.  By the time you leave at the end of Year 6, your attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is broadly average.  Children in the Reception classes get off to a good start and do well.  Teaching is good and this helps you to achieve well. Teachers make lessons fun and give you interesting things to do. We have asked the school to find ways to make sure everybody gets work that makes them think hard, particularly some of you in the middle groups. We have also asked teachers to let you know how well you are doing, and what you should do next to improve. If they don’t, ask

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Inspection of Lyneham Primary School, Chippenham SN15 4QJ

them yourself!  Governors and teachers are determined to improve even further, and with your help, they can!

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Inspection of Lyneham Primary School, Chippenham SN15 4QJ

Thank you once again for your help during our visit and best wishes for your work in the future.

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Inspection of Lyneham Primary School, Chippenham SN15 4QJ

Tony Shield Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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