Lindow Community Primary School

Lindow Community Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 111031 Local Authority Cheshire East Inspection number 356849 Inspection dates 25–26 January 2011 Reporting inspector Frank Carruthers

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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 141 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Claire MacLeod Headteacher Mr Darren Morgan Date of previous school inspection 28 January 2008 School address Upcast Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 6EH Telephone number 01625 582555 Fax number 01625 582555 Email address admin@lindow.cheshire.sch.uk

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Age group 4–11 Inspection dates 25–26 January 2011 Inspection number 356849 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 after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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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 .

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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 documentation 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'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. Eight lessons or parts of lessons were observed involving eight teachers. Meetings were held with pupils, staff and the Chair, and two other members, of the Governing Body. Inspectors observed the school's work, and looked at pupils' books, school assessments, planning and school policies, including those concerning the safeguarding of pupils. Sixty-seven questionnaires were returned by parents or carers, and questionnaires from pupils in Key Stage 2 were read and analysed. Staff also completed a questionnaire. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.  How well different groups of pupils are achieving in all year groups.  Whether pupils make better progress in English than in mathematics.  How effective the marking of pupils' work and feedback is from staff.  How effectively the monitoring of teaching and learning is undertaken.

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Introduction

 How robust all aspects of safeguarding are.

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Information about the school

Lindow is a smaller-than-average primary school in a semi-rural area. The proportion of pupils who join the school or leave, at times other than at the start of the Reception Year or at the end of Year 6, is above average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion with special educational needs and/or disabilities is average. The proportion with a statement of special educational needs is high: this is because the school has specialist provision for pupils with hearing impairment. The percentage of pupils from minority-ethnic backgrounds is just below average. About half of these speak English as an additional language. The school runs a breakfast club. In addition, it hosts a privately-run nursery class and after-school club, which are subject to a separate inspection. Since the time of the last inspection, there has been a change of headteacher, deputy headteacher and Chair of the Governing Body.

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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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Main findings

The school provides a good education for its pupils. They achieve well and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the few pupils who have hearing impairment or who speak English as an additional language make outstanding progress. This is the result of high-quality specialist teaching, the good contribution of teaching assistants and the outstanding care, guidance and support provided by all staff. Pupils' personal development is good and their behaviour is excellent. Pupils' attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6 is broadly average but varies from year–to-year. This variation is the result of differences in the nature of the small year groups and the impact of pupil mobility. A dip in standards and progress in 2009 led to measures being taken which have addressed underachievement well. All groups of pupils make at least good progress in both English and mathematics, resulting

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Main findings

from good teaching and an interesting curriculum. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage get off to a good start thanks to good-quality provision. Provision for pupils with a hearing impairment is highly effective in helping these pupils to take a full part in the life of the school and to work successfully in mainstream classes. Systems to assess and track the progress that pupils make have been developed well in recent terms. Consequently, staff gain a detailed understanding of how each pupil is doing. Developments in teaching and learning are embedding well and the school is aware that the challenge is to sustain the good outcomes for pupils. The school is held in high regard by parents and carers and in the local community generally. It is known for its welcoming and caring ethos. The new senior leadership team has maintained this reputation while making improvements to provision. Senior leaders

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Main findings

drive forward school improvement at a good rate. The work of the governing body is outstanding. Key recommendations from the previous inspection report have been addressed. School self-evaluation and the monitoring of teaching and learning are good. Outstanding aspects of the school's leadership and management are the partnerships that the school has developed with parents and carers, other schools and outside agencies. The school promotes equal opportunities and tackles discrimination exceptionally well. As a result of these strengths, the school provides good value for money and has good capacity for sustained improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In order to sustain the good outcomes for pupils, the school should: build on the strengths in teaching and learning share best practice among staff

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

embed fully the systems to assess and track the progress that pupils make.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils' achievement, enjoyment and learning in lessons are good. The attainment of children on entry to the Reception class is very wide. The attainment of most is at the level expected of children at this age. However, pupils arrive in school at different times of the school year, in different key stages and with widely differing needs. In some older year groups a third of pupils joined the school in Key Stage 2. On average, by Year 6, only half of the pupils in the year joined the school in the Reception Year. In addition, some pupils from other countries and at the early stages of learning English as an additional language remain at the school for only a few years. This level of pupil mobility and very different levels of attainment on entry provide extra challenges for the school and staff cope exceptionally well. Pupils soon become independent learners and make good strides in their learning. They concentrate well in lessons, take a real pride in their work and

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

respond very well to teachers' questions. They are articulate and develop a sophisticated knowledge and understanding of the world. Those who have been at the school the longest achieve the best. Pupils with hearing impairment are given every opportunity to excel and they all do exceptionally well. Very good one-to-one and small-group tuition mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the few learning English as an additional language make equally excellent progress. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and a feature of the pupils' behaviour is the way they look out for one another, especially the older pupils with the younger ones. The behaviour of almost all pupils is outstanding. A few pupils display challenging behaviour and these pupils are managed well by staff and soon show improvement. Exclusions are very rare. Levels of attendance are consistently above

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

average and pupils make a good contribution to the school community through roles such as school councillors, monitors and recycling officers. They have a good awareness of personal safety and how to lead a healthy lifestyle.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 2

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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2

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

Good teaching is evident across all year groups. Strengths include the quality of relationships between adults and pupils, good planning that caters for the different needs of pupils and the support provided by teaching assistants and volunteer helpers. After the dip in standards in 2009, the incoming headteacher set about reviewing the strengths of staff and aspects of teaching that could be improved. As a result of careful staff deployment, the individual strengths of staff have been used to make teaching more effective. This has resulted in pupils' progress being more even across age groups rather than fluctuating from year-to-year and being overly dependent on accelerated progress in Year 6. The impact is evident in the uniformly good progress pupils made last term and which the school is aware now requires consolidating. The staff's use of assessment information to cater for the needs of pupils, including the more able and talented, is

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How effective is the provision?

embedding well and is effective in promoting good learning. This is also true of the quality of feedback in the marking of pupils' work and the use of targets for learning. The curriculum matches the needs of pupils well and there are satisfactory links made between subjects. This aspect is being developed through a current whole-school review of the curriculum. Pupil performance in mathematics has been a focus of attention this year and steps are in hand to improve provision in the subject. Very well-targeted support for pupils with additional needs is an exceptional feature of the care, guidance and support provided by staff. Staff know pupils and their families very well and partnerships

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

with agencies such as speech therapy and social services play an important part in the good outcomes for the more vulnerable pupils. As part of the extended school provision, the school runs a popular breakfast club which parents appreciate. The privately run, after-school club is similarly popular with parents. Arrangements for the transition of pupils when they join the school and when they move on to secondary school are excellent.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 2

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The monitoring of teaching and learning and regular reviews by the headteacher and senior staff of pupils' performance have had a crucial and positive impact on how well pupils achieve. Senior leaders and the governing body have a very clear and accurate overview of how the school is doing. Their self-evaluation is precise and is supported by detailed data on how well different groups of pupils are progressing. This means that the senior leadership team plan future developments from a very good knowledge base. Members of the senior leadership team are involved well in decision making and teamwork across the whole school is a prominent feature. School leaders drive forward school improvement well. They know that their task now is to build on strengths in teaching and learning, disseminate best practice and embed the systems to track pupils' progress. There is a very good range of expertise among members of the governing body, who

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How effective are leadership and management?

challenge as well as support the senior leaders of the school extremely well. Strategies to promote equality and tackle discrimination are excellent and mean pupils have every opportunity to overcome barriers to learning. Regular risk assessments and thorough child-protection measures, including the safe recruitment of staff, mean safeguarding procedures are good. The school promotes community cohesion well and partnerships with local schools are especially effective in making pupils feel part of the wider community and welcomed when they move on to secondary schools.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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2

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Provision in the Reception class is good and leads to the children making good progress. By the end of the year almost all children are working within the expected levels for their age or are beyond them. Their personal development is excellent and is clearly evident in how much they enjoy school and work and play with one another harmoniously. They share, take turns and accept responsibility for their actions extremely well. The lively, stimulating classroom encourages the children to be independent in their learning and promotes their imagination very well. This was evident when the children were engrossed in all types of high-quality learning and play linked to a topic on rockets. Their imagination had been fired after they came into school one morning to find a rocket had 'crash landed' through the ceiling of the classroom. Opportunities for role play, construction and model building, writing and number work were all deftly linked together to create an outstanding

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Early Years Foundation Stage

stimulus for learning. The quality of teaching is good and at times outstanding, thanks to the expertise of the class teacher and teaching assistant. Staff track the progress of the children very well and make detailed observations of their development. Leadership and management of the provision are good. An outstanding element is the partnership generated with the privately-run nursery on-site and with Year 1. These mean that the transitions for the children are smooth and trouble free. The outdoor area is spacious but is less well developed and not yet as stimulating as the classroom.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

In terms of the percentage of questionnaires returned, the response was higher than in most inspections of primary schools. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded expressed highly-positive views of the school. They greatly value the welcoming, family atmosphere the staff generate. A comment typical of those in many questionnaires was, Lindow is a very caring, close-knit school where every child is valued and shown respect.' Parents and carers appreciate how the school helps their children to achieve well and report that their children enjoy school. They consider teaching to be good and their children are well looked after and taught how to be safe. They feel they are kept well informed about school and about how their children are doing. Inspectors endorse these positive opinions and consider they are a reflection of the highly-successful partnerships the school has with parents and carers. A few parents feel their suggestions

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Views of parents and carers

and concerns are not taken into account. The senior leadership team have recently undertaken their own survey of their opinions and at the time of the inspection are in the process of accommodating the suggestions parents and carers have made.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Lindow Community Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

The inspection team received 75 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 141 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 56 75 16 21 1 1 1 1 The school keeps my child safe 53 71 20 27 1 1 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 28 37 45 60 2 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 31 41 34 45 6 8 2 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 35 47 36 48 1 1 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 28 37 37 49 5 7 3 4

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 28 37 39 52 5 7 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 40 53 24 32 5 7 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 42 56 25 33 3 4 3 4

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 24 32 40 53 7 9 3 4

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 27 36 34 45 7 9 4 5

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 35 47 30 40 2 3 3 4

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 39 52 30 40 3 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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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.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

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

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2009 to 31 August 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspec tion outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2009/10 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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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

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on 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 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. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Lindow Community Primary School, Wilmslow, SK9 6EH

It was a great pleasure to inspect your school. You were all extremely friendly and helpful and we enjoyed finding out from you how you are getting on. We particularly enjoyed the meetings we held with the school council and other pupils. On behalf of the inspection team I would like to share with you what we found. Your school is providing you with a good education. Some of its work is outstanding. Your behaviour is excellent and this means you learn well. You told us bullying is very rare and that, if it happens, the staff deal with it promptly. You take on responsibilities well and we were very impressed with how older pupils take care of the younger children, helping them to feel part of a big family. You make good progress in lessons and, by the time you leave at the end of Year 6, most of you reach the standards expected in English and mathematics. This is because the teaching you receive is good and you work hard. You

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Inspection of Lindow Community Primary School, Wilmslow, SK9 6EH

told us how much you enjoy the activities in school. School leaders do a good job and make absolutely sure you all have an equal opportunity to do your best. The staff take outstanding care of you all so that you feel safe and have someone to turn to if you have any need to do so. They have built up excellent links with your parents and carers and with other schools, all to very good effect. Part of my job is to identify how the school can be even better. There is one important task for the staff.  They need to sustain their efforts to make sure you all do as well as you can by making all teaching as good as the best and by making good use of all the information they have on your progress. You can help by knowing your targets in English and mathematics and taking careful note of the advice of your teachers when they mark your work. Please continue to work hard and enjoy school. I send you all my best wishes for the

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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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