New Swannington Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 25–26 June 2012 Inspection number 379908 New Swannington Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 119917 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 379908 Inspection dates 25–26 June 2012 Lead inspector Krishan Sharma

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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 199 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nick Fordyce Headteacher Rachel Rees-Jones Date of previous school inspection 10 February 2009 School address Church Lane Whitwick Coalvile LE67 5DQ Telephone number 01530 832656 Fax number 01530 832656 Email address office@new-swann.leics.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 inspectors visited 16 lessons or parts of lessons taught by eight teachers. Two groups of Year 1 and Year 2 pupils were heard reading. Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body, senior and middle leaders, and a group of pupils. Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documentation, including safeguarding records, the school improvement plan, a summary of the school’s self-evaluation, a range of pupils’ written work, and tracking records of pupils’ progress in basic skills. Sixty-six questionnaires returned by parents and carers were analysed, as were those completed by pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

New Swannington is smaller than the average-sized primary school. A very large majority of pupils are White British. The remaining few come from various minority ethnic groups, notably from mixed White and Black Caribbean or Indian backgrounds. The percentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below average as is the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs is just below average. The school holds Healthy School status, Artsmark (Silver), Quality Mark and the International Schools Award. In recent years, staffing has been considerably disrupted.

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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. 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

 New Swannington has improved significantly since its last inspection, when it was judged satisfactory, and is now a good school. Its capacity to improve is now much stronger because leaders at all levels drive improvement effectively. It is not yet outstanding because not all aspects of teaching are of the highest standard and a few pupils make satisfactory, rather than good progress in mathematics.

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Key findings

 By the time pupils leave the school their attainment is broadly average. Given their starting points which are usually below age-related expectations, this represents good progress and achievement. The school prepares them well for the next stage of their education. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve as well as other groups; however in mathematics, a few make slower progress in comparison.

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Key findings

 Teaching is good. Teachers convey high expectations, display confident subject knowledge and plan interesting lessons that motivate most pupils to achieve well. On occasions, teachers’ use of questioning and discussion to promote pupils’ communication skills, and to check their understanding and assess learning, do not match the very best in the school.

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Key findings

 Behaviour and safety are good. Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel safe. They are keen to learn, have positive attitudes to learning and are considerate towards those around them. Instances of disruption are rare and are managed well by staff when they occur. Attendance is high.

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Key findings

 Senior and middle leaders regularly use pupil outcomes to develop the quality of teaching and to set goals for teachers’ performance management. The extensive continuing professional development of staff, including the teaching assistants, has been instrumental in improving the quality of teaching since the last inspection. The monitoring of teaching is now a strong feature, although its focus on the progress pupils make in lessons is not always explicit. 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 the progress made by pupils with special educational needs from satisfactory to good in mathematics by:  establishing more focused programmes to strengthen their calculation skills.  ensuring that errors are promptly identified and systematically addressed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to drive up standards even more rapidly by:  ensuring all teachers expect pupils make more extended oral responses during discussions, between themselves or with adults, to consolidate and extend their communication skills  using teachers use questioning more effectively to check pupils’ understanding and to move their learning at a faster pace in all lessons  ensuring that teachers make sure that pupils fully understand, and can articulate, what they have done well and what they are doing to improve their work.

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Achievement of pupils

Children usually enter Reception with skills and knowledge that are below those expected for their age, particularly in literacy and numeracy. From these starting points, children make good progress and a large majority of them achieve good levels of development by the end of Reception in all areas of their learning. Pupils continue to make good progress as they move through the school. Consequently, attainment has been steadily rising and is now average by the end of Key Stage 2. It is stronger in English than in mathematics. The standards of attainment in writing are a notable success since the last inspection and are now at average, with an increasing proportion reaching the higher National Curriculum grades. Attainment in reading at the end of Key Stage 1 is broadly average, but it gets stronger between Years 3 and 6. As a result, by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6, standards of attainment in reading are above average. Most parents and carers view

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Achievement of pupils

their children’s progress at school as good. Inspectors confirm this view.

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Achievement of pupils

Most disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve as well as other groups in English. In mathematics, some of them make slower progress, because the interventions planned for them are insufficiently focused to meet their specific needs, particularly in boosting their calculation skills. The small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve well. The more-able make good gains in their learning because they are sufficiently challenged in lessons.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils practise their reading and writing skills in a range of contexts. Much of the topic work in their books demonstrates that they have applied their reading skills 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

widely and are able to find the information they seek. The meticulous planning, which is now an established routine across the school, has made a positive impact on the quality of pupils’ writing. For example, in one Year 6 lesson, pupils were deeply engaged in organising a newspaper report. All groups of pupils had a good idea of what they must consider including in their report. The increasing emphasis on the application of calculation skills in solving mathematical problems was evident during the inspection. In a Year 2 lesson, the teacher challenged pupils to look into whether an odd number plus an even number will always give an odd number. They were enthused by the task and experimented with different numbers with an open mind.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection and it is now good. Pupils, and their parents and carers rightly think highly of the quality of teaching at school. The most effective teaching is characterised by teachers’ high expectations and their good subject knowledge. The teaching assistants are well briefed and pupils benefit well from their support and guidance. For example, in an outstanding Year 3 lesson, the teacher gave clear explanations and provided challenging tasks for pupils of all abilities. Skilful questioning ensured that all groups fully understood what they had to do and helped the teacher to push their learning at a faster rate. As a result, pupils made excellent progress in this lesson. Similarly, in the Reception class, the teacher knew precisely what could be achieved in a short session on phonics (linking letters and sounds), led children’s learning step-by-step and provided

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Quality of teaching

sufficient opportunities for them to practise sounds. Some of these strong features, particularly the effective use of questioning and its impact on pace of learning, are not always well represented in all lessons.

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Quality of teaching

Often teachers create opportunities for pupils to discuss their work, either with them or their peers. They also comment during monitoring of pupils’ learning in lessons. These are often informative occasions, but are not always used to maximise pupils’ communication skills. For example, in some lessons, pupils’ responses during these exchanges are not as full as they could be. Some pupils are not able to explain clearly what is good about their work and what they are doing to improve it, even when they have been successful in their learning.

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Quality of teaching

The systematic teaching of reading, including phonic skills across Key Stage 2, is now well established and has contributed effectively to rising standards in reading. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, clearly benefit from well-planned interventions, particularly for reading and writing. As a result, their learning improves and they make good progress. In lessons, pupils are given numerous opportunities to work with each and they develop their social skills, as a result. Teachers suitably enhance pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different religious and cultural traditions through a wide range of planned topics. Provision helps pupils gain a good understanding of cultural diversity in a way that promotes tolerance and harmony. The regular teaching of social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) enables pupils to reflect on ethical and moral issues as well as their

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Quality of teaching

personal experiences. 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

Good behaviour has contributed effectively to the quality of pupils’ current learning and over time. Most engage well with classroom activities and give of their best. Pupils from different backgrounds relate well with each other. Pupils are fully aware of the expectations staff have of them and rise to them. Adults in the school are suitably trained to manage challenging behaviour. Most parents and carers, and pupils believe that behaviour is good. A few pupils, and their parents and carers raised concerns about disruptive behaviour in lessons and around the school through questionnaires. However, these were not confirmed by pupils during their discussion with inspectors. Inspectors’ first-hand observations of pupils’ behaviour in a range of contexts, discussions with them and an examination of the school’s record led them to conclude that behaviour at school is typically good.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils feel safe and are confident that if they have any concerns, adults in the school will listen to them and will act to allay them. They are acutely aware of the different forms that bullying can take. Instances of bullying in any form, including that which is prejudice-based, are rare and are firmly dealt with if they occur. Pupils show an appropriate awareness of the risks associated with themselves and those around them, including those posed by cyber-bullying. Almost all of their parents and carers believe that their children are safe at school, a view that the inspection evidence concurs with. The breakfast club caters well for a considerable number of pupils. Attendance is excellent.

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Leadership and management

Since the last inspection, all leaders and the governing body have given their full commitment to improving standards of attainment and pupils’ personal development. Much has already been achieved under the determined leadership of the headteacher. The findings of the school’s accurate self-evaluation suitably inform key priorities for improvement and underpin its clear capacity for further improvement. The quality of teaching is now good due to the vigorous focus the school has placed on the continuing professional development of staff, to improve their subject knowledge, teaching methods and skills, on-site and in collaboration with other schools.

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Leadership and management

The regular collection of pupils’ progress data regarding their basic skills features strongly in the school’s monitoring and evaluation procedures, as do the observation of teaching and the scrutiny of pupils’ written work. The notes of observations do not always make explicit the progress made by pupils, which means the evaluations do not always convey a comprehensive view of the impact of teaching seen. However, progress data is robustly tracked to maintain an overview of the performance of all groups of pupils, and outcomes are reviewed at termly meetings to inform intervention. Not only does this information assist the school in detecting underachievement amongst individual or groups of pupils, but it also ensures equality of treatment and inclusive provision for all. It has been central to the setting of 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

measureable goals for the management of teachers’ performance.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is broad and balanced and appropriately meets the needs and interests of most groups of pupils. Links with parents and carers are increasingly well used to engage them with their children’s learning at school. The deployment of a Family Support worker is playing a pivotal role in getting to know hard to reach families. The regular provision for a good range of enrichment activities, including music, art, drama and sport offer pupils numerous opportunities to respond creatively and imaginatively. Engagement in these activities also helps to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. Arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements. The school ensures that no pupil or groups of pupils are discriminated against.

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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 New Swannington Primary School, Coalville, LE67 5DQ

Thank you for welcoming the inspection team into your school. We enjoyed talking to you and observing your work. Special thanks are due to those pupils who filled in the inspection questionnaire or came to talk to us and share their views about the school. We are pleased to let you know that you attend a good school.

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Inspection of New Swannington Primary School, Coalville, LE67 5DQ

Here are some of the good things we found out about your school.

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Inspection of New Swannington Primary School, Coalville, LE67 5DQ

 Most of you make good progress as you move up through the school.  The standards you achieve by the time you leave school in reading and writing are rising and you are now reaching national expectations in both subjects.  Your behaviour in lessons and around the school is good.  Teaching is good in your school and helps you to do well in lessons.  You treat each other well.  You concentrate on your work and give of your best.  Your headteacher, teachers and the governing body have worked hard to improve your school since its last inspection.

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Inspection of New Swannington Primary School, Coalville, LE67 5DQ

To improve your school further, I have asked those in charge to make sure that:

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Inspection of New Swannington Primary School, Coalville, LE67 5DQ

 those of you, who find mathematics difficult, are given all the help you need to make good progress.  in all lessons teachers give you more opportunities to discuss your work at length, ask you searching questions and push your learning at a faster rate.

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Inspection of New Swannington Primary School, Coalville, LE67 5DQ

All of you can also help by always being willing to express your views on how good your work is and how you are trying to improve it.

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Inspection of New Swannington Primary School, Coalville, LE67 5DQ

Krishan Sharma 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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