The Richmond School, Skegness

The Richmond School, Skegness Richmond Drive, Skegness, PE25 3SH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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 school has improved because leaders, staff and the local authority have successfully identified and tackled areas of weakness.  Attainment has risen in the last two years, particularly in reading and mathematics, and is above average.  Teaching is mainly good and, as a result, pupils of all ages and abilities achieve well. Some teaching is outstanding.  Teachers question pupils well and use their answers to keep a close check on how well they are doing.  Pupils enjoy school, feel safe and behave well. Attendance rates are rising.  Children in Reception make good progress because they enjoy the broad and interesting range of activities they are given. Early reading skills are taught well.  The governing body has contributed well to the school’s improvement. Governors are now able to hold leaders to account for the school’s performance.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In a few lessons, pupils spend too long listening to the teacher, and the work for more-able pupils is not always hard enough.  Pupils do not always have enough time to think about and respond to teachers’ marking.  Attainment in, and enjoyment of, writing is lower than in reading and mathematics, particularly among boys.  A few parents and carers would like better information about their children’s progress. Some are not clear about how the school rewards good behaviour.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 26 lessons, including short visits to sessions during which early reading skills (phonics) were taught.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils, the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other senior leaders, two governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors examined a range of documents, including a summary of the school’s self-evaluation, the school improvement plan, and policies aimed at keeping pupils safe.  The views of 25 parents and carers were analysed through the Parent View website. Inspectors also spoke informally to parents and carers to seek their views about the school, considered written comments sent to inspectors and examined 107 responses to a parental survey recently carried out by the school.  The views expressed by 35 staff who returned a questionnaire were also considered.

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Inspection team

Keith Williams, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Colin Lower Additional Inspector Lucy Maughan Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language are similar to that found in most schools of this type.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at ‘school action’ is well below average.  A below average proportion are supported at ‘school action plus’ or have a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils supported by the ‘pupil premium’, which is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are in care or whose parents serve in the armed forces, is broadly average.  The school hosts an after-school club, which is not managed by the governing body and was not included in the inspection.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning still further by:  ensuring a consistent challenge for more-able pupils  increasing opportunities for pupils to respond to teachers’ marking and feedback  building on the work already done to improve boys’ skills in writing and their enjoyment of it  ensuring that all lessons move at an appropriately brisk pace.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Work more closely with parents to ensure they feel better informed about their children’s progress and the ways in which good behaviour is rewarded.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children achieve well in the Reception classes. They start school with the knowledge, skills and understanding typical of children of this age. A good combination of work led by an adult, opportunities to choose for themselves and careful assessments ensures they make good progress in all areas of learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As a result of better teaching, standards have risen. In Year 2, attainment is above average in reading, writing and mathematics and, by Year 6, it is above average in reading and mathematics. These standards show good progress by the pupils involved. Pupils read confidently and widely, and use their literacy and numeracy skills well to help them learn in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment in writing is broadly average by Year 6. It is rising and, last year, almost all pupils in Year 6 made the progress expected of them. Work has been particularly successful to help weaker writers. Nevertheless, across the school, girls do better than boys in writing. While the gap is beginning to close, there is still more to do, particularly to promote writing as an enjoyable activity.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils of different abilities achieve well. They learn best when there is harder work for more-able pupils and extra help for those who need it. In a few lessons, more-able pupils are expected to do the same work as others and, when this happens, their progress slows. Pupils from minority ethnic groups, including those learning English as an additional language, achieve well across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well. Teachers and teaching assistants ensure that pupils are able to learn and contribute fully, in lessons and when they are withdrawn to work individually or in small groups.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils supported by the pupil premium make good progress, and the narrow gap between their attainment and that of other pupils is closing. This is because they are given help that takes full account of their different needs and abilities. Staff successfully promote their self-esteem and confidence, and this helps their learning and enjoyment of school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching has contributed strongly to securing higher standards. Teachers and leaders have worked together well to identify what needs to improve and to check that the necessary improvements are made. As a result, teaching and learning are good or better in most lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Typically, teachers plan lessons carefully to build on what pupils already know, understand or can do. In most cases, they set the work at the right level for different abilities. Pupils who find learning difficult are given extra help, but are encouraged to work things out for themselves. Occasionally, the work is not hard enough to stretch more-able pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers ensure that pupils are clear about what they are expected to learn and they explain how their success will be judged. They question pupils well as the lesson unfolds, and use pupils’ answers thoughtfully to keep a check on their learning. Any misunderstandings are corrected sensitively and quickly.  Most lessons move at a brisk pace. Occasionally, pupils are kept in discussions for too long at the start of a lesson. This reduces the amount of time pupils have to do things for themselves, and a few pupils find it difficult to sustain their concentration.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teamwork between teachers and the other adults is strong, which helps ensure that all pupils have equal opportunity to succeed. Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and pupils who find learning difficult all benefit from well-pitched extra adult support.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The new approach to marking is understood clearly by pupils. There are good opportunities for them to assess their own work and that of their classmates. This adds to their understanding of the work they cover. Pupils are given clear pointers to how they can improve, although they are not always given enough time to review and act upon teachers’ comments.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning, and to school in general, help lessons to run smoothly and have contributed to the school’s improvement. They are invariably keen and eager to learn and show high levels of respect to other pupils and adults alike. Pupils are notably polite and well mannered.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is good. Pupils say that lessons are rarely disrupted by inappropriate behaviour. Most listen attentively to teachers, although a few lose concentration when asked to sit and listen for too long. Pupils of all ages answer questions and contribute to discussions readily.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in the playground and around the school. Rare instances of challenging behaviour are managed well by staff. Pupils understand the school’s code of conduct and the consequences of inappropriate behaviour. Some say they would like a more consistent approach to rewarding good behaviour. This is echoed by a few parents and carers, who are unsure of the school’s method of promoting it.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe in school. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe in a variety of situations. They particularly appreciate the guidance they are given to stay safe in the town and near the sea.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that bullying is rare and they are confident that it would be dealt with well by staff should it happen. Older pupils, in particular, have a good awareness of different types of bullying and understand how to stay safe when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are punctual and the school works well with parents and carers to tackle potential attendance problems before they escalate. As a result, attendance levels are rising and are now broadly average.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the last inspection, there has been a concerted effort to improve the quality of teaching and learning. As a result of this work, teaching is now good, pupils’ attainment is above average and pupils of all backgrounds and abilities make good progress. In addition, pupils now behave well and attendance is broadly average.  Systems to check on teaching and learning, and to evaluate pupils’ tests and assessment results, have improved considerably. As a result, the headteacher and other leaders have a clear and accurate picture of how the school is doing. This information is used robustly to identify and tackle weaknesses and to hold teachers to account for pupils’ performance. The local authority has provided good support to help improve teaching, learning, leadership and governance.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers play their part by evaluating their own performance frankly. They share good practice by making ‘drop-in’ visits to watch each other teach and this approach has now been extended, to good effect, to teaching assistants. Leaders make good links between the performance of teachers and pupils, staff training and salary.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff provide a rich and varied programme of lessons and extra activities that promote pupils’ learning and capture their interest. This enhances pupils’ enjoyment of school and promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works well with most parents and carers to ensure that pupils are able to achieve well, stay safe and attend regularly. A few would like better information about their children’s progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance has improved since the last inspection. Many new members have joined the governing body. A well-structured programme of training and support has ensured that they have quickly gained a good understanding of their role and their skills are kept up-to-date. Good steps have been taken to ensure that governors visit the school regularly to see things for themselves. Consequently, governors have a good awareness of how the school is doing and they compare its performance with other similar schools. They are much more able to ask challenging questions of the leaders than was previously the case, and they make informed decisions about the school’s direction and how funding should be spent. Good links are made between the performance of teachers and pupils, training for staff and their salary. The extra funding received through the pupil premium is used well to meet the individual needs of those

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The leadership and management are good

pupils supported by it. This takes the form of extra teaching or support, and helps enable these pupils to take full part in the school’s activities. Governors check carefully that this is helping them to make good progress in their learning and personal development. The school’s website provides parents with clear information about how pupil premium funding is being spent. Safeguarding arrangements meet current requirements.

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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 120494 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 405932

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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 School Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 444 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stephanie Blanchard-Hall Headteacher Anne Fisher Date of previous school inspection 16–17 September 2010 Telephone number 01754 766639 Fax number 01754 766678 Email address enquiries@richmond.lincs.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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