Trimley St Martin Primary School

Trimley St Martin Primary School Kirton Road, Trimley St Martin, Felixstowe, IP11 0QL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Although pupils’ progress is improving across the school, it is uneven and not happening as quickly in mathematics as in English.  Not enough teaching is good or better. The pace of lessons is sometimes too slow, and the planned activities are not always demanding enough to make sure that pupils make rapid progress.  In some lessons, teachers talk too much and this prevents pupils from getting down to independent work quickly.  Until recently, the school has not recorded or checked pupils’ attainment and progress regularly enough to close gaps in learning quickly.  The roles of teachers who are responsible for leading subjects and other areas are not clearly defined. Too much work falls to the headteacher.  Governors have not had sufficient training in how to take stock of pupils’ attainment and progress, and are unable to fully challenge the school in this area.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils make a good start to their education in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress.  Teachers make very clear how they expect pupils to behave and take responsibility for others, and this ensures pupils feel safe and ready to learn.  Teachers insist on good standards of presentation and mark work regularly.  Pupils have increasing opportunities to use their imagination. Together with their good social skills, this helps them to become confident and articulate.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 15 lessons taught by six teachers.  They held meetings with governors, staff and groups of pupils.  Inspectors took account of the 14 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning and carrying out the inspection, and also spoke to parents and carers in the playground and school.  They observed the school’s work and looked at the school improvement and development plan, assessment data, monitoring and self-evaluation procedures, a range of policies and procedures, and arrangements for safeguarding. They looked at pupils’ books in lessons and in a separate book scrutiny.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading.

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Inspection team

Michael Sutherland-Harper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Joanna Jones Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than average. Some classes are taught in mixed year groups.  The vast majority of the pupils are White British. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and of those who speak English as an additional language are below the national averages.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below the national average, although the proportion supported through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for additional income provided to the school (the pupil premium) is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is a breakfast club, but it is not managed by the governing body and did not feature in this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to good or better by ensuring all teachers:  provide pupils with lesson activities and tasks that are always matched closely to their level of ability  assess learning during each lesson and adjust their teaching accordingly so that all pupils understand what they have to do next to reach their targets  do not spend too much time on whole-class teaching and allow pupils to begin independent work more quickly  insist that pupils work at a brisk pace so they make rapid progress  have more opportunities to learn from the best examples of teaching across the school and in other schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by:  making sure that leaders at all levels, particularly subject leaders, check pupils’ progress regularly and accurately to identify possible underachievement and ensure rapid improvement  helping governors to hold the school more effectively to account by improving their understanding of data on pupils’ performance.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires further improvement. Pupils enter the school with the knowledge and skills expected for their age but with some variation between groups of children in different classes. Pupils’ progress in the last three years has been at national expectations or slightly below. Progress in lessons is better now but the upward trend is not yet secure or rapid enough.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Attainment at the end of Year 6 dipped at the highest levels in English and mathematics in 2012 from 2011 figures. Progress rates are now rising again in reading and writing as a result of good support from the local authority. They are rising less rapidly in mathematics, but also improving because of refinements in the way the school teaches problem solving and more emphasis on mental mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils make rapid progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and currently develop impressive skills in almost all areas by the end of the Reception year, especially in linking letters and sounds (phonics) and reading. Writing skills are slightly weaker but still good.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ skills develop less consistently as they move through the school because the quality of teaching varies, and there is not always enough pace and challenge in lessons to enable them to make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make better progress than their classmates and similar pupils nationally. This is because teachers use good strategies such as booster groups and one-to-one help and guidance to improve pupils’ skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium make similar progress to their classmates. The additional funds are used to provide timely help and guidance and extra support in class and from specialists, and this is helping these pupils to catch up with the others.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils are capable readers who enjoy reading, although they have limited opportunities to read independently or with an adult in school. The Year 1 national phonics screening check showed pupils reaching attainment levels in reading that were well above average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils say they enjoy school and learn a lot, but also that work is sometimes too easy and that they spend too long on some activities. They enjoy the challenge provided occasionally by extra more difficult activities, and would like more.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The proportion of good teaching is increasing but there is not yet enough to ensure that all pupils make good progress across the school. No inadequate teaching was observed during the inspection. However, teachers do not share good ideas sufficiently, and while this is beginning to improve, they do not get enough chance to observe good teaching in their own or other schools.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons, there is not enough challenge or pace and teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low. The amount of time pupils have to develop skills on their own is sometimes limited because teachers talk too long.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers have good subject knowledge and use electronic technologies skilfully. Teachers regularly ask questions to check pupils’ understanding, but do not always follow this up with requests for a reason for the answer or check how pupils reached their conclusions. In a good English lesson in Year 5 and 6 about fairgrounds, the teacher used questioning well to keep pupils working at a quick pace and a high level. Such effective approaches are not consistently used to push learning on across the school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers plan lessons with care to give pupils opportunities to increase their skills, but do not adjust their planning often enough in lessons to take account of what pupils already know or to match work more closely to pupils’ known abilities.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants work closely with teachers and pupils in most lessons, especially in the Early Years Foundation Stage, to ensure that all groups of pupils, including those who are disabled or have special educational needs, now make increased progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers insist on good standards of presentation and mark work regularly, offering helpful comments so that pupils know how to improve each individual piece of work. In a Year 5 and 6 class, pupils enjoyed marking and commenting on each other’s work and said that they benefit from sharing feedback with each other. Pupils know their targets, which are clearly displayed in their books. Older pupils are beginning to understand how to reach the next levels but not all pupils are clear about their next steps in learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good because the school’s behaviour code is consistently followed by pupils and staff. Pupils display the same courtesy and politeness shown to their teachers in their dealings with other adults and pupils. Incident logs show very few examples of poor behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have good attitudes to learning. Even when lessons are less well organised, pupils behave well. Pupils are proud of their school and take an equal pride in their work and behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s efforts to support pupils who have learning difficulties, and pupils increasingly assessing their own and others’ work, help them to work cooperatively and with confidence. The school is committed to ensuring that pupils of all backgrounds and abilities should have equal opportunities to succeed, and recognises the importance of improving their achievement so that this can happen.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs behave well because of their strong relationships with teachers and teaching assistants, who ensure their needs are met well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe. They understand how to keep themselves safe in potentially risky situations because the school covers these aspects in lessons. Although a few parents expressed concerns about behaviour, inspectors found that it is consistently good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are aware of the different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying and name-calling. They know that there is always an adult available to deal quickly with any incidents. They are proud that older pupils support younger ones at lunchtimes and in the playground.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is average and rising. Pupils are punctual. The school has clear systems for dealing with any pupils whose attendance is a concern. Exclusions are rare.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership requires improvement. Although teaching has been improved and more is now good, not enough checks have been kept on pupils’ progress in the past, and some pupils have not made enough progress. The contribution of staff with leadership responsibilities is not clear or effective enough, and governors have not received sufficient training to help them fully review the school’s effectiveness in raising achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has built strong relationships across the school and with the local community. Together with senior leaders and governors, he has drawn up an improvement plan which correctly identifies key priorities. However, the plan lacks precise timescales and success criteria, and does not share out responsibilities enough. Too many tasks still fall to the headteacher.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Teachers who lead key subjects meet regularly with senior leaders to discuss how teaching and monitoring can be improved. However, their work has not yet had enough impact on achievement or teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Staff know they are accountable for results and the progress of their classes, and that movement up the pay scales depends on pupils’ progress. Their performance is assessed against the national ‘Teachers Standards’ and this is leading to improvements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 A good range of subjects are taught. Pupils’ experiences are enriched by occasional days such as a ‘Seafront’ session for gifted and talented pupils, which linked art, writing, and design and technology. Pupils respond enthusiastically to the challenge provided by such sessions. A further strength has been the work of the ‘Young Engineers Club’.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. The school has good local and church links. Pupils have a well-developed sense of right and wrong, show respect for others and look after their school. The school is reviewing ways to increase pupils’ understanding of other cultures and settings.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding procedures meet current national requirements. Policies are appropriate and regularly reviewed. School leaders and governors are trained in safer recruitment procedures. Training for all staff occurs regularly.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority provides good support. Its recent support work and training have helped improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress in English and mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governance requires improvement. Governors are experienced and have received training in many, though not all, of their areas of responsibility. They know the local community and support the school through regular visits which enable them to observe the quality of teaching and learning. At present, they are not effective enough in holding school leaders to account because they need more regular access to, and fuller understanding of, data on pupils’ progress. They do not, for example, have a detailed understanding of how pupils’ results compare with those of other similar schools. Governors have an appropriate grasp of the school budget but require further information about the pupil premium and how it is used to improve progress rates. Governors’ understanding and oversight of the way the school manages and rewards teachers’ performance are good.

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What inspection judgements mean

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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What inspection judgements mean

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 124614 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 402279

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 169 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Kemp Headteacher Peter Lamb Date of previous school inspection 16 March 2010 Telephone number 01394 448313 Fax number 01394 448422 Email address ad.trimleystmartin.p@talk21.com 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

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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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