Messingham Primary School

Messingham Primary School Briggate Drive, Messingham, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, DN17 3TN

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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.  Pupils make good progress through the school. Achievement has improved significantly in the last year and most pupils make good progress from year-to-year.  Attainment in Year 6 is above average in reading and writing, and well above average in mathematics.  Teaching is good; some is outstanding. Effective action by leaders has resulted in significant improvements in teaching since the last inspection.  Pupils with special educational needs and those known to be eligible for the pupil premium make good progress because they are supported effectively.  Behaviour is good. Pupils are kind and friendly. They form good relationships and so feel safe and happy at school. Their good attendance reflects pupils’ enjoyment of school.  A strong drive by senior managers to establish a culture where expectations of pupils and staff are high has resulted in good teamwork; this is moving the school forward effectively.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Senior leaders, including the governing body, have a good understanding of how well pupils are achieving. This is used effectively to ensure that training and support for staff are strongly focused on raising pupils’ attainment and progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although the teaching is good, not enough is outstanding to drive progress at an even faster pace and make achievement outstanding.  In a few lessons, especially in the classes for younger pupils, teachers’ expectations are not always high enough of all pupils, particularly in writing.  Most parents are very happy with the school and all that it offers their children but a small minority feel that they are not kept fully informed about their child’s progress and are not consulted sufficiently about decisions, for example, regarding the organisation of mixed- age classes.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 22 lessons, two of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made other visits to classes, looked at pupils’ workbooks and listened to a few pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and a parent governor, senior and middle managers and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 87 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), one letter from a parent and the views of 16 parents spoken to during the inspection.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ progress, planning and monitoring documentation, the records of how the school uses its funding, especially how the money from pupil premium is spent, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Rajinder Harrison, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Lyn Field Additional Inspector Pauline Hilling-Smith Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is slightly larger than an average sized primary school. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional funding provided by the government for children in local authority care, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils whose parents are serving in the armed forces, is well below the national average.  The percentage of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is below average.  The percentage of pupils supported by school action plus is below average. The percentage with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Following extensive building work, the school is now located on one site.  The school has had a considerable number of staff changes since the previous inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Tackle the teaching that requires improvement and increase the amount of outstanding teaching so that the rate of pupils’ progress speeds up and achievement rises by:  sharing the best practice that exists in the school to influence high quality teaching throughout  ensuring that in the classes for younger pupils teachers have higher expectations of all pupils, particularly in their writing  making sure that all pupils throughout the school are challenged fully in every lesson  improving marking so that all pupils are clear about what they have to do to improve their work  ensuring that teaching assistants are used effectively to support learning in all lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve communication between home and school so that parents can support their children’s education more effectively by providing parents with:  more information about their child’s progress  adequate and timely information about the decisions leaders take that affect their children.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in the Early Years Foundation Stage at levels that are generally typical for their age although aspects of their literacy skills are sometimes less strong.  Children settle quickly because staff provide fun activities that encourage children to learn and become independent. Children particularly enjoy the space and opportunity to extend their imaginative play outdoors.  Children make good progress in all aspects but particularly in their early reading because the teaching of letters and the sounds they make is good. All children achieve the levels expected at the end of the Reception year and a good number exceed these expectations.  Pupils’ progress continues to be good through Years 1 to 6 because most teachers make effective use of the information about how well pupils have learned, to plan work that meets their varying needs. Where teaching is of high quality, pupils’ progress is outstanding. Most

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils attain above average standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. An increasing number are working well above the expected levels in mathematics at the end of Year 6.  Standards in writing are not as high as those in reading and mathematics because pupils, particularly those who are younger, are not always challenged enough to write more.  Teachers ensure that they focus on developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills effectively. Pupils enjoy working together with partners and in groups so that, at all ages, pupils learn to listen to others, think about their work and gain confidence in sharing their ideas with others.  The teaching of reading is good. Letters and the sounds they make are taught effectively in the Early Years Foundation Stage and through Key Stage 1, ensuring that early reading skills are developed well. Pupils enjoy reading and read regularly at home and school.  The early identification of pupils’ needs and the good provision made for them ensure that

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The achievement of pupils is good

disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well against their starting points.  The school uses the pupil premium budget to fund additional teaching assistant time to support these pupils. As a result, these pupils make good progress and achieve well compared to similar pupils nationally. Their attainment, while still below that expected for their age, is rising securely. The gap between how well this group of pupils achieves and other pupils is closing effectively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is good and some is outstanding. Teaching has improved markedly since the last inspection because senior leaders have focused well on raising pupils’ achievement.  Leaders provide effective training and support for staff so that they improve their skills well. In a few lessons, particularly in classes for younger pupils, some teaching requires improvement because expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough.  Where teaching is outstanding, teachers’ expectations are very high and the pace of learning brisk. Through probing questions, teachers check pupils’ understanding and detailed, constructive marking shows pupils what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. They make learning interesting through discussions that help pupils to extend their ideas. For example, in an outstanding art lesson in Year 6, the teacher’s enthusiasm and skills inspired pupils to explore ink drawings more confidently so that they produced high quality

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The quality of teaching is good

work.  In most lessons, teachers make effective use of information about pupils’ ability and progress, in their planning. Occasionally, especially in the classes for younger pupils, teachers’ planning does not ensure that all pupils are always challenged to try their hardest, particularly in their writing, and lessons sometimes move at too slow a pace. In these lessons, pupils of all abilities sometimes do the same tasks. As a consequence, some find the work too easy and others too hard, and a few become restless and inattentive. In most instances, teachers manage these lapses in behaviour effectively, but such incidents slow the rate of pupils’ progress.  Teachers’ marking generally praises pupils’ efforts well but its quality is too variable to help all of them understand what they need to do to improve their work.  The support for pupils who need additional help with their learning is good because teachers

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The quality of teaching is good

deploy teaching assistants effectively. However, sometimes support staff are not used to best effect during teachers’ presentations to the whole class.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is typically good and they enjoy learning. Many pupils said, ‘School is brilliant and it is fun learning’.  Pupils are thoughtful, polite and considerate. They show respect to others and make a positive contribution to the school’s calm, orderly environment. They show high regard for all staff and these positive relationships encourage pupils to seek help if they need it.  Pupils feel safe and well looked after at school. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and talk confidently, for example, about why social network ‘chat rooms’ might pose dangers to children.  Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying, including via mobile telephones. They say that incidents of bullying are rare and, should they occur, staff deal with them effectively. The school takes prompt action to tackle any form of discriminatory behaviour.  Pupils are kind and supportive of others. They work together sensibly and play safely so that

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

accidents are rare. Opportunities to take responsibility around school, for example in organising fund-raising events, provide purposeful ways to extend pupils’ moral and social development.  Pupils’ above average attendance reflects their enjoyment of school.  Staff are very positive about pupils’ behaviour and their eagerness to participate in activities. For example, pupils enjoy a good range of clubs and trips that extend their experiences of the wider world.  Parents raise few concerns about behaviour in school. Most express positive views about the way the school cares for their children and supports their learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Following the successful move on to one site and a number of good staff appointments, the school is improving well.  The headteacher has high expectations of staff and effective teamwork is driving improvement strongly. Senior leaders are very committed to giving pupils the best education. The most recent pupil progress data show that overall achievement is good and standards are rising, particularly in mathematics.  Leaders have taken effective action to check that pupils have the help they need to achieve well and, where teaching requires improvement, robust procedures are in place to improve teachers’ performance.  Senior and middle leaders check carefully that all staff follow the school’s strategies to improve provision so that all pupils can achieve well. Through these robust checks they have identified inconsistencies, for example, that not all teachers are using information about pupils’ previous

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The leadership and management are good

learning effectively to challenge pupils fully, and that the quality of marking is still too variable.  The school development plan is based on the senior managers’ robust and accurate view of the school’s performance. The impact of their efforts is reviewed regularly through meetings with staff and the governing body.  The local authority provides effective support, for example, for staff training and reviewing the school’s performance.  The school promotes equality of opportunity well. Individual pupils’ progress is reviewed termly to ensure that the level of challenge is appropriate. As a consequence, pupils who are at risk of falling behind receive the help they need to catch up quickly.  A few parents feel they are not as informed as they would like to be about their child’s progress and how leaders make decisions, for example, when organising mixed-age classes. In order to strengthen dialogue with parents, a Parent Council has been arranged to start in January.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum links subjects together well so that pupils understand how learning in one subject can help them in others. For example, pupils in Year 5 enjoyed composing story-boards for a multi-media presentation, checking that the illustrations were easily transferrable to screen.  Many extra-curricular activities extend pupils’ learning beyond school and promote well their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils talk enthusiastically about numerous interesting clubs and social events. They learn to value cultural and ethnic differences through learning about world religions, art and music.  The governance of the school: - Members of the governing body are very committed to the school and ensure that pupils are safe and enjoy learning. Governors have a good overview of the school’s performance, including pupils’ progress. They have taken effective action to improve the quality of teaching and, as a

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The leadership and management are good

result, pupils’ progress is improving rapidly in most classes. The governing body has appropriate arrangements to ensure that pay awards link to performance management and procedures to measure performance are thorough. Governor training is relevant and up-to-date, for example in ensuring that the school meets all safeguarding reqirements. Governors check that policies are up-to-date and finances managed well. For example, they ensure that the pupil premium funding is used to support the pupils for whom it is intended and they know its impact.

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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 117741 Local authority North Lincolnshire Inspection number 401690

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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 251 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Keith Crampton Headteacher Lynda Cavanagh Date of previous school inspection 20 January 2010 Telephone number 01724 762818 Fax number 01724 761394 Email address head.messingham@northlincs.gov.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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