Leadenham Church of England Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 4–5 July 2012 Inspection number 395736 Leadenham Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 120604 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 395736 Inspection dates 4–5 July 2012 Lead inspector Andrew Stafford

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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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 42 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Karin Willgoose Headteacher Claire Collett Date of previous school inspection 27 March 2008 School address Main Road Leadenham Lincoln LN5 0QB Telephone number 01400 272702 Fax number 01400 272702 Email address mary.cross@leadenham.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. Ten lessons and part-lessons were seen; five teachers and some teaching assistants were observed. Meetings were held with pupils, members of the governing body and staff. The inspector observed the school’s work, attended a whole-school assembly, heard pupils read and looked at data about pupils’ progress. In addition, he considered the school improvement plan, reports from the local authority and a range of other documentation. Thirty-one responses to the parents’ and carers’ questionnaire were received and analysed.

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Information about the school

This is a very much smaller-than-average primary school and serves its local area. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is much lower than average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average. Pupils, including those in the Early Year Foundation Stage, are taught in classes of mixed ages. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school has achieved several awards including National Healthy Schools status, Activemark, the International School award and is an Eco-School. The headteacher, and three members of the teaching staff have been appointed since the previous inspection. A few children attend a pre-school as part of the Early Years Foundation Stage, which is managed

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Information about the school

by the governing body. 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

 Leadenham is a good school. Pupils become responsible, mature young people who enjoy school. The school is not yet outstanding because aspects of teaching and the curriculum are not promoting outstanding achievement.

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Key findings

 Pupils make good progress and achieve well throughout the school. By Year 6, attainment in English and mathematics is above average.

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Key findings

 Pupils are taught well. Teachers successfully plan and design work that interests pupils and motivates them to work hard. Teachers use questioning effectively to encourage pupils to think deeply and to articulate this thinking. The process actively promotes good progress. Occasionally, teachers are not sufficiently specific in identifying exactly what they want each pupil to gain from the lesson and pupils have less opportunity to work independently.

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Key findings

 The school is a happy, friendly place where pupils say they feel very safe and secure. Their behaviour is outstanding – an evaluation reflected in their parents’ and carers’ views. Of special note is the way that they support each other, in particular the way older pupils care for younger ones.

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Key findings

 Successful leadership has helped the school make significant improvements since its last inspection, especially in increasing the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress. Performance management and the monitoring of teaching have been used successfully to improve the quality of teaching. The curriculum promotes pupils’ achievement and their social, moral and spiritual development, but there are too few planned opportunities to ensure they gain understanding of the cultures of others living in the United Kingdom. Pupils’ progress is not accelerated when opportunities are not always identified for them to practise writing and mathematics skills in other 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?

 Move teaching and learning from good to outstanding by July 2013 by ensuring precise identification of what each pupil will learn and achieve by the end of each lesson and give more opportunity for independent work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ achievement and personal development by:  making explicit the link between skills and knowledge taught in English and mathematics lessons and activities planned in other subjects  planning more opportunities for pupils to learn about the ways of life and cultures of others living in the United Kingdom.

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Achievement of pupils

Although starting points vary with small intakes, they are usually broadly at the expected levels for the children’s ages. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage quickly gain skills that help them develop personally and academically to reach at least expected levels in all areas of learning on entry to Year 1. An activity in a model seaside, for example, enabled the children to learn to work together successfully, choose classroom resources to represent seaside objects, sell ice-cream and calculate change – and tell a story about their activities. Good progress continues through Key Stages 1 and 2 and pupils achieve well to attain above-average standards.

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Achievement of pupils

Systematic development of phonics (the sounds that letters make) alongside other key reading skills, mean that most pupils attain standards in reading that are above average by the end of Years 2 and 6. Due to well-judged school improvement work, standards in mathematics have risen steadily and are now above average. Pupils have a well-developed ability to explain their thinking in mathematics. For example, a Lower Key Stage 2 lesson on regular and irregular shapes showed they were able to use addition and multiplication methods to calculate area. Standards in writing have, until this year, been lower than those in reading and mathematics. School data and pupils’ books show that current school improvement work is successful in accelerating progress, which is now good, overall, in writing. There remains, however, some variability in the quality of pupils’ writing in different contexts. Pupils use their speaking, listening and reading skills in a wide range of subjects, and older

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Achievement of pupils

pupils do this with ease. There are not enough opportunities for them to practise their writing and mathematics skills in a similar way, so they do not learn to apply these skills to the same extent.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because they are supported effectively, both in class and through individual help. 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

Parents and carers are unanimous in strongly agreeing that their children are doing well at school which endorses inspection findings on achievement.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers’ careful planning of work, based on good knowledge of pupils’ interests and prior levels of attainment, ensures pupils’ successful learning and progress. Teachers are careful in setting different levels of challenge for the range of ages and abilities in mixed-age classes. Relationships are strong and lessons are conducted in a calm, friendly way that promotes good concentration. Small classes enable teachers to give pupils much individual help and support to accelerate learning and promote personal development. Teaching provides opportunities for pupils to examine issues of national and international importance from a moral and social viewpoint, although there are fewer opportunities to learn about a wide range of different cultures.

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Quality of teaching

When all pupils are engaged together for part of lessons, learning is almost always very successful because teachers use a wide range of methods, including individually targeted questioning. For example, an English lesson for older pupils was very effective in teaching them to identify how an author had successfully appealed to the senses through the use of effective adjectives and language devices. Consequently, pupils were inspired to learn at a brisk rate and compose their own sentences along the same lines. However, teachers are not always sufficiently precise in identifying and explaining exactly what each pupil is expected to achieve by the end of the lesson. In these situations, individuals did not learn as well as they could, for example, by taking more responsibility for their own learning to reach a higher- quality outcome. Significant improvements have been made to the quality of marking

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Quality of teaching

since the school was last inspected. Pupils are aware of how well they are doing and what they have to do to improve.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers deploy teaching assistants well to play an effective role in promoting good achievement. Good support in the mixed-age classes enables younger pupils to benefit both from being taught alongside older pupils, while still having access to adult help and a range of activities appropriate to their own age group. Teaching assistants are effective in the teaching of reading, and phonics is taught in small groups where extra opportunities enable pupils to read to an adult. Any dips in progress are identified and pupils targeted through intensive support in reading or working in small groups in mathematics. Most pupils catch up and accelerate their progress as a result, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Pupils speak highly of the extra support they receive, for example, in one-to-one teaching situations. Inspection findings are endorsed by parents and carers, who are highly positive about the quality of teaching their

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Quality of teaching

children receive. Pupils, themselves, cited teaching as one of the things they thought was best about the school. 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

The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding, as recognised by parents and carers. Pupils say that behaviour is, typically, exceptionally good. They behave very well in class and around the school. Strong personal, social and health education ensures that pupils are very well aware of how to keep themselves safe both in and out of school. Pupils report there is no bullying of any sort and that unkind behaviour is very rare. They have extensive knowledge of the different types of bullying, including cyber bullying. School systems to promote excellent behaviour and tackle bullying are extremely successful. The great value that is placed on the individual is evident at all levels and from all staff. The school council organises the house-point competition that celebrates good work and rewards pupils for showing qualities such as respect, kindness and friendship. Pupils respond very eagerly to learning, take

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

responsibility willingly whenever they have the opportunity and become increasingly mature. In all lessons observed, pupils’ attention is caught and their eager behaviour makes a very positive contribution to learning. Attendance has improved significantly over the last school year and is, currently, above average.

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Leadership and management

The school team, inspirationally led by the headteacher, works well together; there is a shared vision which motivates staff to continue to improve. Over the last three years, since the appointment of the headteacher, robust systems have been developed to support improvement. Good development planning leads to well-judged action, for example, on progress in key subjects, achievement in writing and better attendance. The effective governing body has successfully challenged the school and supported improvements, including through wider links with other local schools. This liaison has brought opportunity for teachers to work with others, learn from each other and broaden experiences for pupils. Successful development of teachers’ skills has ensured better teaching and learning and helped retain the confidence of parents and carers during staff changes. The strength of the leadership team, the seamless

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Leadership and management

transition to established leadership and settled staffing, and the track record of improvements demonstrate the school’s capacity to continue to improve.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum provides a wide variety of stimulating, first-hand and memorable experiences for pupils throughout the school. Assembly strongly reinforces pupils’ sense of belonging. They sing heartily, enjoying being members of the school community, and are emotionally prepared for their lessons. The curriculum is carefully planned to ensure development of basic skills and to successfully interest and motivate pupils. The limited links between what is taught in English and mathematics lessons and work in other subjects mean, however, that pupils have restricted opportunities to practise the skills they have learned in a wider context. Both pupils and parents and carers express delight about the wide range of interesting opportunities available at the clubs that the school provides. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage, including children of pre-school age, receive a lively, well-planned programme of work both indoors and out. Pupils’ social, moral

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Leadership and management

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

and spiritual development is promoted very effectively both through the curriculum and through strong emphasis on care for the individual. There was real awe and wonder from the older pupils as they investigated scientific slides using microscopes, but understanding of cultural diversity, especially in the United Kingdom, is underdeveloped.

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Leadership and management

Safeguarding requirements are met. Practice is thorough and focused on the well- being of all. Parents and carers are highly appreciative of all aspects of the school. Characteristic comments are: ‘Leadenham is a very special school. All of the staff give 100% all of the time to teach and nurture the children.’ ‘My boys have grown into mature and kind students.’ The school’s high commitment to promoting equality and ensuring there is no discrimination is shown through the determination and commitment of all staff to ensure that all pupils, including disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and the more able, achieve well and attain a high level of personal development.

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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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0QB

I really enjoyed my time in your school and one of the highlights was talking to you. You will be pleased to know that I agree with you that yours is a good school.

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0QB

These are some of the best things about your school.

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0QB

 You make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, and by Year 6 attain above-average standards.  You are well taught. Your teachers are successful in making you interested in your work so that you want to learn.  You behave very well, work hard in class and want to succeed. I was particularly impressed by the way that you look after each other.  Staff know each of you really well and take good care of you. This makes you feel very safe and secure.  Your headteacher, other staff and the governing body are working hard to make sure that your school gets even better as quickly as possible.

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0QB

To make things even better I have asked your headteacher, governors and teachers to do these things.

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0QB

 Be very precise in saying what each of you will learn and achieve by the end of each lesson so you have more opportunity to work independently.  Give you more opportunity to use your writing and mathematical skills when you are learning in other subjects and, also, help you to learn more about the different cultural backgrounds of people living in the United Kingdom.

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0QB

All of you can help by continuing to work as hard as you can.

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0QB

Andrew Stafford 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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