Moulton Chapel Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 15–16 May 2012 Inspection number 380015 Moulton Chapel Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 120417 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 380015 Inspection dates 15–16 May 2012 Lead inspector Lynne Blakelock

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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 73 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Geoff Barham Headteacher Lisa Meacher Date of previous school inspection 19 November 2007 School address Eaugate Road Moulton Chapel Spalding PE12 0XJ Telephone number 01406 380440 Fax number 01406 380440 Email address lesley.mackenzie@moultonchapel.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. The inspector observed eight lessons taught by four teachers, over approximately four hours. She held meetings with representatives of the governing body, a group of pupils and members of staff. She observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including the school improvement plan, data about the achievement of all groups of pupils and school policies. She analysed the 29 questionnaires returned by parents and carers.

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Information about the school

This school is much smaller than most others of its type. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including pupils who are supported by school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs, is above average.

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Information about the school

The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

It is part of two learning networks and also belongs to the local Schools Sports Partnership. It has recently been awarded National Healthy Schools Status.

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Information about the school

The headteacher took up her post in September 2009. 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 satisfactory school. It is not good because leaders and managers are not fully effective in speeding up pupils’ progress by regularly reviewing the quality of teaching and the curriculum. Variations in teaching and learning are not picked-up quickly enough, and so pupils’ achievement over time is no better than satisfactory. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Key findings

 All groups of pupils achieve satisfactorily from Reception onwards. Attainment is average at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. This demonstrates satisfactory progress from pupils’ various individual starting points.

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Key findings

 Teaching is satisfactory for all age groups. While there is some good teaching, planning of lessons is not regularly based accurately enough on data about the levels at which pupils are working. Thus, tasks do not always offer the right level of challenge to quicken their progress. Pupils do not have a secure knowledge of their levels, and their targets are too often peripheral to classroom learning.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ behaviour is consistently good in lessons, around the school and at play. They are polite and show consideration towards others. The school’s caring and supportive ethos promotes their security and well-being. Pupils can explain a range of potential dangers and how to avoid them.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher’s accurate grasp of the school’s needs supports appropriate school improvement planning, and is reflected in staff’s performance management targets and professional development opportunities. Middle leaders’ roles are not focused enough on monitoring and recording the quality of provision in their areas to inform the headteacher in detail about school improvement needs. 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?

 Accelerate progress and raise attainment throughout the school in reading, writing and mathematics, through consistently good teaching, by making sure that:  teachers use data about the levels at which pupils work to set tasks that provide appropriate challenge to pupils of all abilities  pupils know the levels at which they are working, and use challenging targets to enable them to make further progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management across the school in accelerating pupils’ progress, by ensuring that:  those with responsibilities for subject areas regularly monitor the quality of teaching and the curriculum, and their impact on pupils’ progress  the resulting findings are reported to the headteacher to inform improvement planning.

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Achievement of pupils

Achievement is satisfactory throughout the school. Every parent and carer who responded to the questionnaire believes that their children make good progress and that their needs are met well. However, the school’s own judgement and pupils’ work seen in lessons and books show that although there are pockets of good progress where teaching is effective, both teaching and progress are satisfactory overall.

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Achievement of pupils

Children in Reception make satisfactory progress overall from their average levels of knowledge and skills on entry. They make good progress in their personal, social and emotional development, behaving sensibly, safely and considerately. They are also starting to take personal responsibility for organising their learning. Children sound out groups of letters increasingly confidently. Almost all read simple words. Some are able to articulate simple sentences accurately and a very few are reading fluently.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils continue to make satisfactory progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 in the mixed-age classes. In Year 1, some pupils show secure understanding of basic punctuation skills. They use texts at a range of levels to answer questions about plots and characters, although the level of challenge is not always matched closely enough to their needs. By the end of Key Stage 1, they reach average levels in reading. There is some variation in attainment by the end of Year 6 because of the small year group sizes, but it is generally average in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Achievement of pupils

Different groups of pupils make very similar progress. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in Years 3 and 4 showed they could count in fives and tens in an interesting problem-solving exercise. Boys and girls generally make 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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Achievement of pupils

similar progress. Pupils who are capable of reaching higher levels generally make satisfactory progress. Those in Year 5 and 6 made good progress in working out the interior angle of an octagon, using their knowledge of triangles, because the tasks were an accurate fit to their abilities and were supported by very specific questioning.

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Quality of teaching

There is a business-like atmosphere in lessons because pupils are keen to learn. Good relationships between staff and pupils, and interesting introductory literacy and numeracy activities, set the scene well. Pupils develop a range of social and moral skills as they practise negotiating, and listen to other pupils’ views. In most lessons, there is a good balance of teaching and time for pupils to practise their learning. Variations in the quality of some teaching practices restrict progress over time to satisfactory. In particular, information about the levels at which pupils work is not considered carefully enough in lesson planning. As a result, work can be too hard or too easy for pupils. The use of questioning is sometimes very helpful in extending pupils’ thinking. In particular, the learning of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is made more secure through regular focused questions. In

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Quality of teaching

a Year 5 and 6 lesson, a problem-solving task necessitated the pupils themselves continually questioning the effectiveness of various methods and their probability of success. Presentation of pupils’ work is not given sufficient importance and is very variable. In some lessons, there is too much dependence on commercially produced worksheets. In Reception, the outdoor area is used well as an extension to classroom learning and this enables pupils to develop a greater understanding of the links between different activities. The linking of current literacy learning in other lessons, in order for pupils to practise what they have learnt, is a developing aspect.

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Quality of teaching

A school focus on ensuring that marking tells pupils clearly what they have achieved and the next steps has been effective overall. However, pupils are not given sufficient ownership of their learning. Even older pupils are vague about the levels at which they work. Neither levels nor targets are given sufficient emphasis in learning.

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Quality of teaching

The teaching of reading is systematic. In Reception, pupils learn the sounds made by groups of letters and how to blend them or break them down in order to help them to write and read. In Years 1 and 2, these reading skills are embedded.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils behave sensibly and thoughtfully, both in lessons and around the school. The school’s records confirm that this is the norm. The high expectations of staff from the Early Years Foundation Stage onwards and the consistent use of the behaviour policy are significant factors in the positive and happy environment for learning. These findings echo the views of every parent and carer who responded to the questionnaire.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Most parents and carers also think that their children are safe and that bullying is 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

dealt with effectively. Inspection evidence, including the views of pupils and staff, supports this. Pupils trust the staff to deal with any concerns or worries they may have. They understand the importance of internet safety, and have a good understanding of how to deal with the dangers posed by cyber-bullying and other forms of prejudice-based bullying. However, the personal, social and health education programme is not as well-balanced in its coverage as it could be, throughout the school. Pupils appreciate the growing role of school councillors and look forward to opportunities to become, for example, peer mediators. Younger pupils would like similar opportunities to take responsibility.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ attendance is average and improving. The systems for monitoring attendance are increasingly effective, and attendance rates are shared with parents and carers to stress their importance.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher’s thorough audit of the school’s strengths and its priorities has formed a basis for a clear direction to the work of the school, which is supported by the committed staff. Secure foundations for improvement are being laid. The school has a good knowledge of pupils’ achievement over time through regular tracking of the progress of all groups of pupils. In this small school, staff show good teamwork. Pupil progress meetings now have a greater focus on pupils’ achievement. However, subject leaders do not yet monitor teaching and learning or the curriculum frequently enough, or report their findings formally to highlight weaknesses and support improvement.

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Leadership and management

Improvement planning and the staff’s performance management targets are based very closely on raising achievement. Training records reflect this, including in mathematics, where improvements are working through satisfactorily. Staff’s understanding of data is developing quickly. Appropriate partnerships with other schools and with local authority consultants are helping staff to strengthen aspects of their teaching, and thus the achievement of all groups of pupils. This in turn supports the school’s satisfactory promotion of equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination.

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Leadership and management

The members of the governing body work regularly with the staff, including in curriculum areas. They demonstrate a realistic understanding of the school’s performance, and their strong support and challenge help to ensure the school’s capacity for further improvement.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher’s audit has led to improved planning to promote pupils’ wider development, such as growing opportunities to develop their cultural understanding. Their spiritual, moral and social development is also good. Lessons are more frequently planned across subjects to deepen learning. Guided reading and the teaching of letters and sounds form the basis of learning in reading and writing. After-school clubs are popular and are presently mainly sport-based. 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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Leadership and management

Parents and carers value the good links between home and school, and know that their views are taken into account. For example, the school has responded to their request for a greater focus on pupils’ academic progress at parents’ evenings. They have an increasing understanding of how to support their children’s learning, thanks to regular information from the school and opportunities to participate in workshops. Links with the village, including the church and external agencies, promote good care of the pupils. This is based on safeguarding arrangements that meet statutory requirements and are reviewed regularly to ensure pupils’ ongoing safety and well- being.

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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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Inspection of Moulton Chapel Primary School, Spalding, PE12 0XJ

I was impressed during my recent visit by your politeness and good behaviour. Thank you for making me welcome and for talking to me about your school and your learning. You enjoy school and learn within a caring environment.

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Inspection of Moulton Chapel Primary School, Spalding, PE12 0XJ

Your school is a satisfactory school. You reach average levels in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. Satisfactory teaching leads to you making satisfactory progress throughout the school in reading, writing and mathematics. In some lessons, teaching is good and you make quicker progress. You show positive attitudes to learning and settle down in lessons quickly. You particularly like discussing your learning with other pupils and working out possible outcomes to problems.

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Inspection of Moulton Chapel Primary School, Spalding, PE12 0XJ

The headteacher and all of the staff are working hard to make the school more effective. I have asked them to make sure that it improves by carrying out the following actions:

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Inspection of Moulton Chapel Primary School, Spalding, PE12 0XJ

 always giving you work that is at just the right level to help you make quicker progress

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Inspection of Moulton Chapel Primary School, Spalding, PE12 0XJ

 making sure that you know the levels you are working at, and have targets that you can use in lessons to enable you to make further progress towards set goals

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Inspection of Moulton Chapel Primary School, Spalding, PE12 0XJ

 ensuring that the quality of teaching, the curriculum and the progress that you make are evaluated regularly, so that any weaknesses can be sorted out.

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Inspection of Moulton Chapel Primary School, Spalding, PE12 0XJ

You can help by knowing your levels and focusing on your targets in lessons.

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Inspection of Moulton Chapel Primary School, Spalding, PE12 0XJ

Lynne Blakelock 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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