Saxlingham Nethergate CofE VC Primary School

Saxlingham Nethergate CofE VC Primary School Church Hill, Saxlingham Nethergate, Norwich, NR15 1TD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress and achieve well.  Standards in English and mathematics are above average and have been consistently so since the last inspection.  Reading is given high priority and is taught well. The youngest pupils have a good knowledge of letters and sounds, and the oldest pupils can discuss the literature they like to read.  Teaching is good and teachers plan interesting lessons that pupils enjoy and which make them think. There is a strong emphasis on pupils developing good communication, literacy and mathematical skills.  Learning and progress are assessed thoroughly and prompt action is taken to support any pupils who may fall behind.  Pupils are proud of their achievements and contribute positively to many school and local community events.  Behaviour is good and, for some pupils, it is outstanding. Pupils feel safe at school and are well looked after.  There is strong leadership from the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

headteacher and everyone on the staff is firmly committed to all pupils achieving their best.  The governing body keeps a close check on how well the school is doing and takes an active role in planning for its future.  The school has sustained its good performance since the last inspection because leaders and governors take action to maintain pupils’ good achievement and promote effective teaching.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not outstanding and, occasionally, the learning tasks given to one or two pupils are too hard for them.  The school’s website does not provide parents with up-to-date information and communication with parents is not as good as some would like.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in each class and visited ten lessons. Four observations were conducted jointly with the headteacher.  The inspector had meetings with staff, groups of pupils, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector looked at a range of evidence including: the school’s improvement plan, attainment and progress data, monitoring and evaluation reports, teachers’ planning and the school’s safeguarding arrangements. He also observed pupils’ behaviour, looked at pupils’ work in their books and heard pupils read from Years 1 and 2.  The inspector met some parents informally at the end of the first day of the inspection and took into account the 22 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Rob McKeown, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are White British.  No pupils are currently eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals; very few pupils were eligible last year.  The proportion of pupils identified with special educational needs and supported at school action and school action plus is below average.  There are no pupils with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has achieved the Healthy School status and been awarded the Eco-school Bronze Flag.  The headteacher teaches the Reception and Key Stage 1 class on three days each week; she has been in post for 11 years.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen teaching further so that it is always good and a significant proportion of it is outstanding by:  leaders undertaking more frequent observations of lessons taught by less experienced staff so that they can benefit from guidance and support  sharing among staff the good and outstanding features of their teaching  ensuring that teachers always plan work that fits with the ability of every child in their lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Discuss with parents how communication with them can be improved and take action to improve it, and update the school’s website, so that it provides relevant and accurate information.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Widen the school’s programme for the appraisal of performance by including support staff in an annual assessment of the quality of their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The skills and abilities children have when they start school generally match what might be expected, although this varies from year to year. Progress in the Reception Year is good. Children learn quickly because they feel happy and secure and are taught well. They get the chance to take part in a good range of stimulating activities across all the areas of learning expected of children of this age. This means that children gain the skills they need before they start in Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress as they get older. They leave the school well prepared for secondary school. Pupils consistently reach above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils leave the school the equivalent of around six months or more ahead of where they are expected to be and many gain the higher Level 5 in English and mathematics . This year, some pupils are working towards Level 6.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are given many opportunities to talk about their learning and develop their confidence in speaking aloud. This is demonstrated well by pupils giving their views in philosophy lessons and by older pupils leading presentations and performances. School and eco-council membership enables pupils to contribute their ideas about school improvements and sustainability.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading at school and pupils reading at home are given high priority. A systematic approach to learning sounds and letters provides younger pupils with important early reading skills. Older pupils read regularly with their teacher and develop into fluent and confident readers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The very few pupils who are supported because they have special educational needs make good progress. This is because their specific learning needs are identified accurately; they are given good support, and most of the time are given learning tasks that are right for them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A close check is kept on how well all pupils are doing from term to term. If a slow-down in a pupil’s progress is detected, then staff discuss how help can be given to get the pupils back on track. Last year, additional teaching time was provided for the few pupils for whom the school received additional funding and this helped to ensure that they made the good progress that was expected.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is consistently good in the Reception, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 classes, and all the parents who responded to the online questionnaire believe their children are taught well. Teaching engages pupils well and captures their interest, and teachers know precisely what they want pupils to learn in their lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan work that make pupils think hard. In a mathematics lesson in Years 5 and 6, pupils enjoyed investigating patterns in geometric shapes and trying to devise a formula to calculate their frequency. Teachers encourage pupils to discuss their learning and share their ideas. Teachers and other adults work well together, particularly in the Key Stage 1 class, where the contribution made by the adult supporting the class is excellent.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lessons are usually matched very well to the different ages and abilities in each class. Older and more capable pupils tackle more demanding work and those that require easier tasks are usually supported effectively by teachers and other adults. Occasionally, one or two lower ability pupils are provided with work that is too demanding, which slows their learning. More experienced teachers manage to match work well to all pupils in their classes but have not yet shared this and other strong features of their teaching with less experienced staff.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. Lessons in personal, social and health education (PSHE) and philosophy encourage pupils to think and talk about their feelings, and express their points of view. The PSHE lesson seen in the younger class illustrated the strong emphasis placed on pupils’ personal and social education, and how well pupils are progressing in speaking confidently and listening to each other.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Work in pupils’ books is well presented and shows that they have many opportunities to use their reading, writing and mathematical skills in other subjects. For example, pupils record their investigations in science and carry out research in history and geography.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use their time well during lessons to work closely with a group of pupils, as well as checking how well those working by themselves are doing. Sharply focussed questioning is a positive feature of the best teaching, testing pupils’ knowledge and understanding and asking pupils to explain and share their reasoning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking in pupils’ books points out to pupils how they might improve their work. Older pupils have become more involved recently in judging the quality of their own writing.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is typically good and sometimes outstanding. No exclusions or unruly behaviour have been recorded since the last inspection. Pupils get on well together and the atmosphere on the playground at break times is calm and friendly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Most pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. In lessons, they show good levels of concentration and work well together in pairs and groups. Occasionally, if learning tasks are proving too difficult, one or two pupils lose interest.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe at school and that they learn about fire, road and internet safety. Those spoken to were able to identify the different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying and that which involves prejudice. They were happy to say that bullying is not something that they encounter at this school and that any falling out or disagreements are always resolved. Almost all parents agree with this and agree that the school manages pupils’ behaviour well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are expected to take responsibility and this they do well in the contributions they make around the school. Older pupils help to organise events and take part in school and local performances and competitions. On the day of the inspection, Year 6 pupils were involved in hosting a grandparents’ lunch at which all pupils were involved in a harvest presentation. School assemblies also contribute well towards pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is above average and very few pupils are absent from school too much. The school keeps a close check on attendance and contacts parents if it is not notified about an absence. A suitably strong line is taken to discourage parents from taking holidays in term time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour and attitudes of the youngest pupils are outstanding. Excellent adult role models, and the care and guidance given to children in Reception, help them to settle quickly into school and develop positive personal and social skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides good, purposeful leadership and all staff contribute well to the school’s success. The strong contribution made by experienced teachers in providing good- quality teaching ensures that pupils achieve well and reach above-average standards. Teamwork is good and support staff play their part in making sure that the school runs smoothly.

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The leadership and management are good

 Although the school has many strengths, leaders are always looking to try to improve it further. Priorities for improvement are clearly identified in a precisely focussed development plan, which includes maintaining good-quality teaching and above-average standards. Pupils’ progress is tracked thoroughly and the data collected are used to identify the need for, and provide, additional support for any pupils who may not be progressing fast enough.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers are appraised for their performance and against targets, which include how much progress pupils make and the standards they reach. The governing body ensures that improvements in pay are linked to these. There is no similar appraisal system for support staff. The quality of teaching is monitored periodically but not often enough for less experienced staff. Joint lesson observations with the headteacher during the inspection confirmed the accuracy of her judgements, although she is not yet using the government’s new Teachers’ Standards when monitoring teaching herself. Training courses are organised for new and inexperienced staff to help them develop their subject knowledge and teaching skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 All the main subjects, some of which are linked together in learning topics that last for a term, are included in what pupils learn. Younger pupils get the chance to learn some French and older ones learn German. Specialist teaching is organised in music and physical education (PE) and all pupils in Key Stage 2 learn to play the recorder.

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The leadership and management are good

 The safeguarding of pupils meets requirements and parents are confident that their children are safe at school. Relationships are excellent and staff care extremely well for all pupils. They promote equal opportunity and ensure that there is no discrimination. Premises staff ensure that the site and buildings are attractive, clean and well-maintained.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents are pleased with what the school provides for their children. Nevertheless, the parents who responded to the online questionnaire were less positive about home-school communication than any other aspect of the school’s work. The school website is out of date and not providing parents with any useful information.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides light-touch support for this good school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  has improved markedly since the last inspection  has become more effective because governors have attended training and set out their improvement priorities in a governing body development plan  makes good use of the skills of individual governors including, for managing the school’s finances  adopts a fair and rigorous approach to checking how well the school is doing and managing the performance of the headteacher.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 121054 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 403452

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary Controlled School Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 46 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Berni Simmons Headteacher Christine Gibson Date of previous school inspection 9 June 2008 Telephone number 01508 499271 Fax number 01508 499271 Email address office@saxlingham.norfolk.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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