Lantern Lane Primary and Nursery School

Lantern Lane Primary and Nursery School Lantern Lane, East Leake, Loughborough, LE12 6QN

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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.  The head teacher has led the school very effectively since her appointment and is ably supported by a strong leadership team. They have a clear view of the school’s strengths and areas for development and clear plans in place to further improve the school’s practice.  The strong leadership of teaching and learning results in teaching that is good and sometimes outstanding, enabling the majority of pupils to make good progress.  Behaviour is good across the school. The new behaviour management system has effectively addressed incidents of bullying, on the rare occasions that they occur, and this ensures pupils are kept safe.  The governing body effectively holds senior leaders to account for school outcomes. They provide appropriate challenge; they effectively manage financial resources and performance management systems, particularly salary and promotion issues.  The Nursery and Reception classrooms provide

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

rich, stimulating learning environments for the youngest children to thrive in and learn at a good or better rate.  Disabled pupils are well supported by medical staff, teaching assistants and their class teachers.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A small minority of pupils with special educational needs do not achieve as highly as similar pupils nationally.  The pace in some lessons does not enable all groups of pupils to be fully challenged and engaged.

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Information about this inspection

 Twenty eight lessons or parts of lessons were observed.  Meetings took place with the head teacher, members of the governing body, staff and a representative sample of pupils.  A telephone conversation was held with an officer of the local authority.  A number of pupils read to inspectors and talked about their work.  A sample of pupils’ work was scrutinised from each year group, with a particular focus on English.  Forty-nine parents and carers responded to the on-line Parent View survey. Parental responses were analysed and they informed inspection judgements.  Inspectors looked at key inspection documents, including performance data produced by the school and external partners, procedures for safeguarding, the minutes of governing body and the school improvement plan.

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Inspection team

Gill Ellyard, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Geof Timms Additional Inspector Ann Behan Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Lantern Lane is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The new head teacher was appointed in January 2012.  A below-average proportion of pupils are supported through school action.  A below-average proportion of pupils are supported through school action plus  A very small number of pupils are of minority ethnic heritage.  A below-average proportion of the pupils qualify for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils who are looked after by the local authority and for those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school does not make, or use, alternative provision.  The school is actively involved in the training of teachers in partnership with local higher education establishments.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Spread the existing pockets of outstanding teaching across the school by: - ensuring that activities challenge all ability groups, including in those classes that are grouped by ability - increasing the pace of lessons by reducing the amount of ‘teacher talk’ time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 To improve the outcomes of those pupils with special educational needs by: - setting a clear benchmark for what constitutes satisfactory, good or outstanding progress which is then consistently applied across the school to further raise standards - measuring and reviewing the impact of intervention strategies and adapting these where they are less effective.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start Nursery with knowledge, skills and understanding typical for their age. They make good progress over time and enter Year 1 with development exceeding the expected level.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Year 1 pupils performed above the national average in the recent test of how well they link sounds and letters (phonics). Girls did particularly well in the phonic assessment. This higher level of attainment was achieved because reading skills are taught effectively and pupils have a wealth of reading opportunities to improve their vocabulary and comprehension skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The higher ability pupils, particularly in English, achieve above expectations. Work in their books reveals that they have been provided with a rich diet of opportunities to improve their writing skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy practical tasks such as dissecting plants in Years 4 and 5 and engaging in activities to improve their coordination in the Reception class. Good quality work is produced across all subjects and pupils are keen to give of their best. Their very positive attitude to learning is a key ingredient in their success, resulting in pupils making good gains in their learning as they move through the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils are well supported by a range of medical staff, teaching assistants and in-class support strategies. The inclusive nature of the activities provided for them is an important strength of the school. While some individuals’ physical needs are quite severe, they are fully accepted by pupils and staff alike. Effective guidance and support ensures disabled pupils make good progress and are fully involved in all school activities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The highly skilled staff team provide pupils with a good education. This enables pupils to make good progress in most lessons. Where there is outstanding teaching, pupils’ progress is accelerated by stimulating learning opportunities, high expectations and a clear sense of purpose as to what must be achieved. This said, these elements did not always feature in all of the lessons observed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school’s ‘CARE’ values (Confidence, Achievement, Respect, Enthusiasm) are adopted throughout the school. Teaching effectively promotes pupils’ self-esteem and self-confidence. Pupils are actively encouraged to have a go and to be involved in all learning activities. Relationships between staff and pupils are very good. There is a real warmth in classrooms and this ensures learning is conducted in a positive climate. The learning environment is built on trust and pupils recognise that their class teacher is someone that they can confide in. Behaviour management is good and learning is not disrupted.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught well. Teachers use interesting themes to bring learning to life and to make it relevant to children’s understanding. For example, Reception children used laptop computers to create beautiful, colourful firework pictures on a night sky background. In Nursery children’s numeracy skills were being extended by looking at the properties of different shape and matching them to everyday items. Pupils found the activities enjoyable and motivating.  In outstanding lessons, the pace of the lesson is quick and the time flies by. Questioning probes and challenges pupils’ thinking effectively and as a consequence, pupils’ learning is extended effectively. On occasions there is too much teacher talk which slows the pace of learning. Pupils do not always move quickly enough to the activities planned, and at times can becoming fidgety, and sometimes withdraw from the learning activity as their interest wanes.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are ability grouped for some learning activities and this works particularly well where the work is effectively matched to all pupils’ capabilities so that all pupils are challenged effectively. However, this is not always the case.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Every child is set targets to improve their learning. Targets are referred to regularly in lessons and this means pupils are clear about what must be achieved and what must be improved. The whole school marking policy is consistently applied to suitably guide pupils’ next steps in learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Because pupils’ phonic skills are well developed, they enjoy reading and are able to give detailed recounts of the books that they have read. Those who find reading more difficult are provided with engaging lessons and plenty of opportunities to read regularly to staff, parent and governor helpers. As a result pupils reading skills are accelerating at a good rate.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching within the school is supported well by highly skilled teaching assistants and support staff who are deployed effectively. Their input enhances pupils’ learning both within the classroom and in group and one-to-one activities.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The implementation of a revised behaviour system, by the new head teacher, has proved to be successful. Pupils say that behaviour has improved and the amount of low level disruption in class has reduced. The revised behaviour policy includes a good system of rewards and sanctions, which all pupils understand and all staff follow consistently. There have been no exclusions in the last year.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are very positive. They say that they enjoy coming to school and that they enjoy their learning. This is demonstrated in their above-average attendance and good punctuality. Pupils’ show respect for the school’s premises and for each other. Pupils are welcoming, friendly, courteous and are good mannered.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that they feel safe in school and that although there were some previous issues with bullying, these have been addressed. Pupils were unable to cite any recent incidences of intimidation or harassment. Pupils are aware of the different types of bullying. For example, they are able to explain how to keep safe when using computers, thus avoiding cyber-bullying.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils move around the school in an orderly fashion. Playtime has been improved with the introduction of more interesting activities and new equipment to keep pupils productively occupied. The staggered lunch breaks enable all pupils to eat in the hall and although rather noisy, they enjoy the social aspect, especially talking and engaging with friends.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the new head teacher is very effective. She is clearly focused on raising standards and accelerating pupils’ progress across the school. Governors and senior leaders have a clear vision for the future. Governors meet with subject leaders to monitor developments within each subject, enabling them to provide support and a good level of challenge. They remain clearly focused on school improvement. The head teacher leads and manages the staff extremely effectively and uses her in-depth knowledge of teaching and learning to support and guide staff to improve their practice. The pupils are at the heart of every decision and the very positive ethos within the school is a reflection of this.

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The leadership and management are good

 The head teacher is ably supported by a highly skilled and effective leadership team. Their role needs to expand to enable them to monitor the teaching taking place within their subject areas. This will provide them with the necessary knowledge to advise and support their colleagues to move all teaching to outstanding. The core subject leaders clearly understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This is because of their close monitoring of plans and looking at pupils’ work. There is good use of data to inform detailed improvement planning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The performance of teachers is closely managed by the head teacher and is clearly linked to the school’s improvement priorities. Decisions about salary progress are made taking into account the effectiveness of their work on school outcomes.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders are not always fully utilising the detailed assessment information that they have, to analyse the impact of support for pupils with special educational needs. Benchmarks regarding the progress made by these pupils are not always set consistently in each year to raise standards achieved. Data show a minority of pupils are not attaining the standards reached by similar pupils nationally.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Children are provided with a rich and stimulating environment in which to learn. Adults work well together to ensure children achieve well. Resources are well deployed to improve outcomes for children. Robust steps are taken to safeguard children and good links are made with parents and others.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. A strong ethos results in children having a clear set of values, principles and beliefs. The curriculum is suitably enriched by a range of additional activities, after-school clubs and residential trips from Year 2 onward, that broaden pupils’ horizons. Assemblies provide good opportunities for reflection. A wide range of assembly topics are covered and activities help pupils to understand the needs of their school and wider community in a way that promotes tolerance and harmony. The school fosters good relations and tackles discrimination effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The money available through the pupil premium is used effectively to support pupils’ learning, both academically and personally. Governors know how much pupil premium money is received; they use it effectively and hold senior leaders to account for its impact. The additional funding is making a difference with standards rising in writing at Key Stage 1 and in mathematics at Key Stage 2, where attainment is now above the national average in these subjects in these year groups.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a good knowledge of the school’s provision and its outcomes. They have been suitably trained to fulfil their statutory responsibilities. Monitoring and evaluation records provide them with a clear picture of the quality of teaching and pupils’ performance. Performance management is robust and governors know the effectiveness of staff, particularly those who are promoted, and what is happening to tackle any underperformance. The governing body is fully aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses through subject links and progress reports linked to the school improvement plan. All statutory responsibilities are fulfilled.

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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 122636 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 403492

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 385 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andy Turner Headteacher Jane Butler Date of previous school inspection 10 April 2008 Telephone number 01509 820112 Fax number 01509 820113 Email address office@lanternlane.notts.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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