Killingholme Primary School

Killingholme Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 3–4 November 2011 Inspection number 379464 k Unique Reference Number 117743 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 379464 Inspection dates 3–4 November 2011 Reporting inspector Roger Sadler

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 108 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Ironman Headteacher John Pearson Date of previous school inspection 8 November 2006 School address School Road South Killingholme Immingham DN40 3HX Telephone number 01469 540232 Fax number 01469 540232 Email address admin.killingholme@northlincs.gov.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 rates council children's services, and inspects services for looked after

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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.

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. The inspectors observed teaching and learning in all four classes, taught by four teachers. The team analysed samples of pupils’ work, particularly in mathematics and writing, and held meetings with members of the governing body, staff, pupils and parents and carers. They observed the school's work, including play times and assembly, and looked at records from the previous and current academic years. School documents, including the school improvement plan and safeguarding procedures and records were evaluated. The school’s data in relation to pupils’ attainment, progress and attendance was compared with national data. Inspectors analysed the 23 questionnaires returned by parents and carers, along with questionnaires returned by pupils and staff.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

■ How well pupils, especially the more-able, progress in writing in Years 1 to 6. ■ Whether assessment information is effectively used to promote learning. ■ How effectively leadership roles are shared out in this small school.

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Information about the school

Almost all pupils attending this small village primary school are from White British families and speak English as their main language. More pupils than is typical are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. The school has had a significant number of staff changes recently including the appointment of two new class teachers and a deputy headteacher in September 2011. Since the previous inspection the school has gained Healthy School status and the Activemark for physical activity.

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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

This is a good school. Pupils and parents and carers agree. Many pupils show great pride in their school and are fulsome in its praise. By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve well to attain average standards, although only a few Year 6 pupils attain the higher level (Level 5), particularly in writing. All groups of pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress and achieve well in response to the good support they are given. The progress of lower-attaining pupils is a little stronger than that of the more able because additional support is more frequently targeted at those who are falling behind. Girls often do better than boys but the school is aware of this and is working to help boys do even better. Pupils feel secure and safe and act with careful regard for the safety of others. This is because the care, guidance and support for pupils, including safeguarding

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Main findings

arrangements, are excellent. Pupils behave well and their personal development is strong. Relationships are good throughout this happy school and many pupils speak warmly of teaching staff and other adults in school.

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Main findings

The headteacher provides a very clear vision for the school and has rightly earned the full respect of staff, pupils and many parents. Leadership roles are being effectively shared among staff and staff work to a common sense of purpose. Accurate and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation ensure that the school concentrates on improving the weaker aspects of its work. For example, in recent years, attainment in mathematics declined a little. However, mathematics results have recovered due to determined and effective work by the whole staff. There are particular strengths in the leadership and management of teaching and learning and in ensuring assessment is used well. Consequently, the quality of teaching and rates of progress are improving. New staff are effectively inducted and are already making an important contribution to the good progress made by pupils. As a result, the quality of teaching is mainly good and sometimes outstanding. These factors and the

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Main findings

steadily improving attainment throughout the school indicate that the school has good capacity to continue to improve in the future.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

■ Raise pupils’ attainment in writing, especially that of the boys and of more-able pupils by:  ensuring that particular writing skills are developed in subjects other than English  providing more opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills on their personal computers  helping pupils in all classes see more clearly exactly where and how to improve their work  providing additional guidance and challenge to those capable of exceeding the standards expected of their age.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Most children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with knowledge and skills below those expected for their age. Throughout the school, but especially in older classes, pupils behave well and sustain good levels of concentration in lessons and this helps them enjoy their learning. Middle-attaining pupils occasionally make better progress than higher-attaining pupils because in lessons, on a few occasions, work is not quite hard enough for the more-able pupils. Lower-attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities in all classes make good progress in lessons and in the regular additional sessions provided by teaching assistants. Overall, pupils’ achievement is good and pupils enjoy school a great deal.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Many pupils’ social development is a particularly strong aspect and they are polite, mature and helpful with visitors to school. Pupils say they feel safe and are keen to adopt safe practices. Pupils, especially in the oldest class, take a strong role in the school community. They apply for roles such as buddies or members of the council and respond well to the broad range of opportunities to take on responsibilities. The school’s work towards Healthy School status and the Activemark have helped provide pupils with a good understanding of a healthy diet and the need for regular exercise. The school’s excellent procedures to assure attendance result in consistently above-average rates of attendance. Pupils’ good achievement in basic skills, and their good relationships and behaviour, ensure that pupils are well-prepared for the next stage of their

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

education and the world of work beyond school.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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2

Pupils' attainment 1 3 The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 2 The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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The extent to which pupils feel safe 2

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

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How effective is the provision?

Staff have a detailed understanding of the level at which each pupil is working. They use this information to ensure that teaching matches the needs of individuals, especially middle-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils are continually given high-quality oral and written feedback on their work and shown how to improve. Although all classes use an effective system for helping pupils to be aware of their targets, the school recognises that further work is needed to ensure that all pupils, particularly the more-able, are fully aware of where they need to concentrate their efforts to improve. They are sometimes given helpful checklists and success criteria to enable them to assess their work, but this practice is not yet fully secure in all classes. High expectations of behaviour and interesting resources and ideas help pupils develop very positive attitudes to

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How effective is the provision?

learning. Whole-class teaching is invariably clear and interesting. Additional impact is provided by the effective use of interactive white boards. Pupils are given many opportunities to discuss issues in pairs or small groups and this helps deepen their understanding and also develops their speaking and listening skills.

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How effective is the provision?

The broad and rich curriculum gives appropriately strong priority to developing pupils’ basic skills. It is adapted well to meet the learning needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The curriculum is enhanced through frequent visits and visitors. Pupils in the older two classes are very much looking forward to the forthcoming residential visit to London that some pupils are being involved in planning and organising. The school has a good range and take-up of interesting clubs and activities which contribute well to pupils’ social development. The curriculum supports pupils’ personal development because it is very well-designed to place strong emphasis on pupils’ skills in resolving personal and social problems. Although pupils make good progress in writing, the writing skills being taught in English lessons are not fully developed in subjects other than English. The school has

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How effective is the provision?

excellent information and communication technology (ICT) resources including a notebook computer for each pupil in the older two classes. These are generally used very well to support teaching and learning, but sometimes chances are missed to encourage pupils, especially boys, to develop their writing skills. The school has undertaken some useful work to improve the use of its outdoor areas to promote learning. For example, pond-dipping activities are improving pupils’ attainment in science.

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How effective is the provision?

Excellent care ensures the needs of all pupils, including potentially vulnerable pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified early. The headteacher and staff have a detailed knowledge of each pupil’s academic and personal development needs. Pupils’ self-esteem is carefully nurtured and each individual is helped to aspire to do their very best and relate well to others. The school has excellent systems for helping pupils resolve any conflicts that may arise which focus on adults listening very carefully to pupils’ concerns and rebuilding damaged relationships. Excellent arrangements are in place to ensure that behaviour is consistently and effectively managed. The promotion of safety, including the safe use of the Internet, is given strong priority in school procedures and by all teachers in lessons.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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2

The use of assessment to support learning 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher ensures that staff are united in the aim for continual improvement. A key reason for pupils’ good achievement is that the headteacher has established and uses an excellent system for assessing the academic and personal development of each pupil. Regular meetings between the headteacher and each individual teacher ensure that each member of staff shares a common understanding of which pupils may be at risk of underachieving. Meetings with staff also clarify and review the part that each teacher is taking towards whole school priorities such as the need to improve pupils’ learning in fractions, ratio and proportion. Teachers readily accept responsibility for ensuring that each pupil does his or her best, term by term. All pupils are valued. Equal opportunities for success are promoted well and discrimination is not tolerated. The headteacher provides a very strong and effective lead in steadily improving the quality of teaching and learning. Staff guidance and

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How effective are leadership and management?

training are well-focused and effective. Recently appointed staff are being inducted into their roles by the headteacher and other mentors to ensure they grow in confidence and effectiveness and take a consistent approach to such matters as how behaviour is managed or how pupils’ work is marked. The headteacher is fully aware of where any potential weaknesses in provision lie and takes appropriate action to remedy these.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The governing body holds the school to account and has a clear overview of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The school has good partnerships with local providers, social and health services, and with parents and carers. The school has worked effectively to check and improve the way that it contributes to community cohesion and has done much to provide pupils with a deeper understanding of the range of cultures in modern Britain. The school’s comprehensive and exemplary procedures for safeguarding pupils are known and adhered to by all staff. They exceed current requirements and include strong procedures to keep pupils as safe as possible in the event of an emergency. These are the grades for the leadership and management

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2

The leadership and management of teaching and learning 2

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Home visits and other effective arrangements ensure that children are carefully inducted into the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children soon feel confident in school. A growing number of parents spend time with their children at the start of the school day and support their children’s learning at home, and this has a positive impact on the progress children make. From generally below expected starting points and low attainment in writing, children make good progress in all areas of learning, in particular in their personal, social and emotional development. Even though attainment in language and mathematical aspects of learning are a little below average, many children attain nationally-expected standards in their personal development by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children enjoy the good range of interesting learning activities provided and the regular good quality interventions by adults which are carefully tailored in the light of regular

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Early Years Foundation Stage

assessments. The teaching of letters and sounds and other aspects of early reading is good. The strong emphasis placed on helping children to speak and listen enables them to acquire confidence in many aspects of their language development. Overall the unit provides a rich, varied and interesting place for children to thrive and learn. The care provided for children is a particularly strong element.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Leadership and management provided by the headteacher and the Early Years Foundation Stage leader are good and adults work as a team to a common purpose. Staff share an accurate understanding of where improvements are needed and continually work to fine-tune and improve provision.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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2

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2 The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of leadership and management in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

Around a quarter of parents and carers returned the questionnaire, which is a lower than the typical rate of response. Most parents and carers are fully supportive of the school. Most parents who held discussions with inspectors around school and at the school entrance were very supportive of the school and its work. They were particularly appreciative of how well their children were cared for. There was no pattern in the criticisms that just a few parents made.

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questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Killingholme 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. The inspector received 23 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 108 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 11 48 11 48 0 0 1 4 The school keeps my child safe 10 43 11 48 1 4 0 0 The school informs me about my child's progress 8 35 14 61 1 4 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 8 35 14 61 1 4 0 0 The teaching is good at this school 10 43 12 52 1 4 0 0 The school helps me to support my child's learning 10 43 11 48 2 9 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 10 43 11 48 2 9 0 0 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) 9 39 11 48 1 4 1 4

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 9 39 12 52 0 0 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 8 35 12 52 2 9 1 4

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 9 39 9 39 4 17 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 9 39 8 35 3 13 0 0 Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 10 43 12 52 0 0 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. 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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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9 Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5 All schools 10 44 39 6

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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.

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above is for the period 1 September 2010 to 08 April 2011 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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.

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Killingholme Primary School, Immingham, DN40 3HX

Thank you for making the inspectors so welcome when we came to your school. We especially want to thank those of you who gave up part of your lunchtime to talk with us. My colleague and I enjoyed watching you learn and talking with you in lessons and around school.

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Inspection of Killingholme Primary School, Immingham, DN40 3HX

Your school provides a good standard of education and helps you make good progress. Staff look after you very well indeed and we are pleased you enjoy lessons. You clearly like school and you attend regularly and arrive on time. You know how to act safely and think about the safety of others. You are being prepared well for life at your next school and for life beyond school. You show consideration for others, understand what is right and what is wrong, and are very friendly to each other. We hope you are proud of your good behaviour and manners. Those of you who find learning more difficult make good progress especially when you are helped by learning support assistants.

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Inspection of Killingholme Primary School, Immingham, DN40 3HX

There are many things that your headteacher, teachers, other staff and the governors want to improve, because they want your school to get even better. We have asked that the headteacher and governors concentrate especially on helping to ensure that more of you, especially the boys and those of you who find learning easier, do your very best in writing.

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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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