Morton Trentside Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 25–26 April 2012 Inspection number 380030 Morton Trentside Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 120464 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 380030 Inspection dates 25–26 April 2012 Lead inspector Terry McDermott

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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 210 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Vaughan-Luke Clarke Headteacher Beverley Riddle Date of previous school inspection 24 March 2010 School address Crooked Billet Street Morton Gainsborough DN21 3AH Telephone number 01427 613472 Fax number 01427 613472 Email address admin@mortontrentside.lincs.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

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 15 lessons taught by seven teachers for a total of approximately nine hours. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, staff, and members of the governing body. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. They observed the school’s work, listened to pupils read, looked at the school’s methods for tracking pupils’ progress and at a range of school documents, including its policies, minutes of governing body meetings, monitoring records and samples of pupils’ work. Responses from 95 parents and carers to the Ofsted questionnaire were considered, along with questionnaires completed by staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Almost pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is low. There are no pupils learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at the school action plus stage and disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. The school meets current floor standards, which set the national minimum expectations of pupils’ attainment and progress. The headteacher was appointed in April 2010. The school holds the Clean Air award and has Healthy Schools status.

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Information about the school

A pre-school club uses part of the school building. This is not overseen by the governing body and was not part of this inspection. 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. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers express full confidence in its work. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is good. This is because of the school’s insistence on high standards of politeness, tolerance and respect. The school is not outstanding because teaching and assessment, though good, have inconsistencies which have not been eliminated by school leaders.

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Key findings

 Achievement is good. From starting points a little below average, pupils make consistently good progress through the school to reach above-average levels of attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. The school’s accurate, though complex, tracking system indicates that no group of pupils underachieves.

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Key findings

 Teaching is good. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good. Most lessons encourage pupils to find things out for themselves. Pupils like working in this way. The quality of marking is satisfactory. It does not always tell pupils what they need to do to improve. On a small number of occasions, work set does not meet the learning needs of all pupils well enough.

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Key findings

 Behaviour is good. Pupils are safe and look out for each other well. Parents and carers agree unanimously that the school keeps their children safe. Most pupils cooperate well when playing or working in groups. They say that bullying rarely happens and that they enjoy school.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are good. Actions taken to improve the quality of learning in Key Stage 1 and standards of reading throughout the school have been successful. Procedures for the management of performance are followed well. Middle leaders do not always check closely enough on the quality of learning taking place in their subjects. 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?

 Increase the proportion of teaching and learning that is good or better by: - ensuring, when marking pupils’ work, that clear guidance is given about what pupils need to be do next to improve - setting work in lessons which meets the learning needs of individual pupils more closely.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that middle leaders measure objectively and regularly the amount of learning taking place in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Refine further the methodology for assessing what pupils know and can do, so that teachers can use this information more readily to plan work to meet the learning needs of all pupils.

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Achievement of pupils

Children get off to a good start when they join Reception class. They learn quickly to cooperate, sharing equipment well and working and playing in harmony. The good relationships they develop are extended as they move through the school. They underpin the children’s good spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development over time. Children make good progress in developing their communication skills because adults use facilities and resources well to engage them in imaginative discussions.

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Achievement of pupils

Basic reading skills are taught frequently and well. This is driving up pupils’ attainment in reading. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment in reading is slightly above average. Pupils read regularly and enthusiastically and are comfortable reading aloud. By the end of Year 6, attainment is almost a year ahead of the national average in writing, a term ahead of the national average in mathematics, and broadly average in reading. This represents good progress in relation to pupils’ starting points. Rearrangements to the curriculum have ensured that this good progress is made in all three phases of the school. All pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make progress better than that found nationally, irrespective of their starting points. The very large majority of parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire felt that their children make good progress and inspection evidence supports this view.

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Achievement of pupils

Learning in lessons is good. Relationships between adults and pupils are very good. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are always ready to find things out for themselves and respond enthusiastically to challenges set by their teachers. They listen carefully to their peers’ different views and opinions. This helps them to secure their understanding by considering and evaluating alternative perceptions. They sustain their concentration well when practical or problem-solving tasks are set. 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

Many examples of good or better teaching were seen in all classes in the school, but some examples of satisfactory teaching were also seen. This inconsistency explains why pupils’ achievement is good, rather than outstanding. The very best lessons are characterised by short, sharp, demanding practical tasks, matched carefully to individual pupils’ needs. Pupils respond with enthusiasm, concentration and sustained efforts to satisfy their aroused curiosity and interest. This was seen to excellent effect in an outstanding Year 4 art lesson. Pupils extended their observational and technical skills rapidly by sketching still-life forms and then engaged in peer assessments of what they might do better. Their concentration on completing challenging individual tasks was superb. Their response to positive, critical feedback was immediate. Together, these ensured that learning was outstanding.

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Quality of teaching

Well-resourced classrooms motivate pupils’ curiosity about the world around them and support their good spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. At its best, the planned curriculum leads to well-organised lessons, where teachers make clear to pupils what they are going to learn. These lessons move forward rapidly, with teachers and other adults circulating around different groups making sure that pupils are on the right track. Teachers ask direct questions rapidly, seeking opinions, but always demanding explanations. Pupils are very willing to speak aloud because they have no fear of ridicule. Teaching assistants are deployed flexibly and most play an effective role in supporting different groups of pupils. This ensures that all pupils make at least good progress over time. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make the same good progress as their peers. Parents and carers,

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Quality of teaching

correctly, expressed the view that teaching is good. Occasionally, the pace of learning slows when all pupils are expected to listen to the same explanation or are given similar tasks, regardless of their ability. In these lessons, the more-able pupils finish quickly and then sit quietly waiting for the next task and less-able pupils find the work hard and never really get to grips with what they should be learning. The marking of pupils’ work is regular, but often perfunctory. It does not always give enough guidance on what pupils need to do to improve.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are polite, well mannered, and considerate to each other, to visitors and to the environment. This creates a calm learning atmosphere in which pupils flourish. Their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is good. Even the youngest say ‘good morning’ routinely or hold doors open. This harmony is the result of adults upholding and modelling the values of respect, tolerance and co-operation consistently. Behaviour is good throughout school. The small number of boys whose behaviour sometimes gives cause for concern, rightly recognised by parents and carers, are managed successfully. Pupils say that their learning is not disturbed. Pupils explain with confidence how they know they are safe in school and they are well aware of the dangers they may face outside the school and how they might respond sensibly to them. Parents and carers are accurate in their extremely positive views about pupils’ safety and, without exception, feel their children are safe.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

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

Parents and carers comment that incidents of any kind of bullying are unusual and they are confident that any incidents are dealt with swiftly and appropriately. Links between home and school are strong and provide very solid grounding for the good relationships between pupils and staff maintained throughout the school. Attendance is average. It is lowered by family term-time holidays. Pupils leave school as considerate young citizens, well prepared for their future lives.

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Leadership and management

Clear, strong and purposeful leadership by the headteacher is improving the school steadily. She and the senior leadership team have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They target professional development specifically to improve teaching. Recent improvements, particularly in reading throughout the school and in the overall quality of teaching in Key Stage 1, stem directly from their focus on accelerating learning. All adults are active in ensuring equality of opportunity for pupils in this harmonious school. There is no evidence of any sort of discrimination and all groups of pupils make equally good progress relative to their starting points. These strengths indicate the school’s good capacity for securing improvement. Although middle leaders monitor teaching in their subjects, they are only just beginning to use direct observation of learning to measure progress in their

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Leadership and management

subject areas. Assessment and tracking information is not easily accessible for teachers and does not help them enough to set work which accurately meets pupils’ learning needs.

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Leadership and management

The governing body has high aspirations for the school. Its members are active, knowledgeable and hard working in supporting the school and challenging its outcomes. It ensures that the school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet government requirements and that all staff are suitable to work with children.

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Leadership and management

The recently reviewed curriculum is good. Those aspects pertaining to pupils’ multicultural awareness and understanding are strong and lead directly to pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. A language-rich learning environment, with well-planned activities, focuses successfully on improving pupils’ reading skills and writing proficiency. Activities link subjects in groups where pupils can practice and refine skills learned in one subject area across a range of other subjects.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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

Inspection of Morton Trentside Primary School, Gainsborough, DN21 3AH.

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

Thank you for making us so welcome when we inspected your school recently. We enjoyed visiting you in your lessons and talking with you. We were particularly impressed with the politeness and good manners of the vast majority of you and the way you get on so well with each other and with the adults in your school. You pay good attention to the teachers and to each other in lessons.

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

We found that Morton Trentside is a good school. It is led well by your headteacher. The way in which the school helps you to improve your spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is good. That is why you are such good young citizens. Good teaching helps you to make good progress.

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

However, we also found that the school could some things better and that these would help you to learn even more than you do now. We have asked the adults who run the school to make lessons even better by:  making sure, when they mark your work, in all subjects, that the teachers tell you what you must do next to improve  giving you different pieces of work to do in lessons so that you do not find the work either too easy or too hard  checking more often and more closely that you are learning as much as could in lessons.  simplifying further how information on the progress you are making is recorded.

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

You can help your school to get better by telling your teachers, politely of course, if you find the work you are given is either too easy or too hard and by attending school as often as you possibly can. Good luck for the future.

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

Terry McDermott Lead inspector (on behalf of the inspection team) 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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