Lindale CofE Primary School

Lindale CofE Primary School School Hill, Lindale, Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6LE

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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

 Pupils’ progress in writing between classes is too variable and requires improvement. Although pupils’ progress in writing is improving, particularly in Years 5 and 6, too few pupils reach the nationally expected standards by the time they leave the school.  Teaching is not good enough in all year groups to ensure that all pupils make good progress from their starting points. Some teaching is good or outstanding, but the quality of teaching is variable as pupils move through the school.  The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 1 does not always match the individual needs of pupils with different levels of ability, particularly the more- able pupils. As a result, too few pupils reach the highest possible standards in these subjects at the end of Year 2.  English and mathematics subject leaders are new to their roles and do not have a good understanding of how to improve pupils’ progress in these subjects. Leaders and

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

governors are yet to fully tackle weaknesses in the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good. As a result, leadership and management require improvement.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher and increasingly effective governing body have an accurate picture of the school’s performance and those areas which need to improve. The recent steps they have taken towards this are already bearing fruit and pupils’ attainment is rising.  Relationships are strong. Parents feel very welcome in school and pupils know that adults in the school look after them well and are willing to listen to any concerns.  Pupils’ good behaviour and good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are supported by a rich and stimulating curriculum which takes full advantage of opportunities for learning in the local community and through well-established links with other schools in the area.  Pupils with special educational needs and children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress due to the good teaching and support they receive.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons, one of which was a joint observation with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector made a number of short visits to lessons and small-group sessions.  Meetings were held with three members of the governing body, a local authority representative and school staff. Additionally, the inspector talked informally with some parents and with groups of pupils.  The inspector took account of 20 on-line questionnaires (Parent View) and five staff questionnaires.  A range of documents was looked at, including the school’s data on pupils’ progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Janette Corlett, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes throughout the school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well-below average. In this school this funding is to support the very few pupils who are eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is slightly above average and the proportion of those supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  Most pupils are from a White British background and no child is at an early stage of acquiring English.  The school currently meets the government’s floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school appointed a new headteacher from September 2012.  A pre-school provision operates on the school site. This is not managed by the governing body

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Information about this school

and did not form part of the inspection but a report of its quality can be found on the Ofsted website.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is at least good or outstanding by:  ensuring that all teachers understand what good and outstanding teaching looks like and that they use this to improve their own practice and the progress pupils make in lessons  making sure that teachers in Key Stage 1 plan and deliver lessons which offer appropriate levels of challenge for all pupils, especially those who are more able, in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve writing throughout the school so that that an above average proportion of pupils reach and exceed the standards expected of them nationally by the end of Year 6 by:  ensuring that all teachers set pupils individual targets for writing which challenge them to reach the highest possible standards based on their individual ability  making sure that teachers always insist on pupils producing the very best work they are able to do  making better use of the school’s systems for tracking pupils’ progress in writing so that any pupils who are not making good progress are swiftly recognised and supported at the earliest possible stage.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership by:  developing the skills of the English and mathematics subject leaders so that they can effectively check on the quality of teaching in these subjects and take steps to make sure that it is always at least good.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 While cohorts vary, most children enter the Nursery with skills that are typical for their age. Due to good teaching and a stimulating learning environment they make good progress and, by the end of the Reception Year, most children are meeting or exceeding the expected levels of skills and understanding.  The amount of progress pupils make in Key Stages 1 and 2 varies according to the quality of teaching they experience. While pupils’ overall progress in English and mathematics is similar to that expected of pupils nationally, too few pupils make better progress than this, and this is why achievement is not yet good. Standards in Key Stage 1 are rising, but more-able pupils do not always reach the highest possible standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 2. In upper Key Stage 2, there is evidence that the proportion of pupils making good or outstanding progress from their starting points is increasing. This is beginning to raise standards

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

in English and mathematics which, by the end of Year 6, are typically average.  Standards in reading are average and improving because pupils have many opportunities throughout the school day to practise their reading skills across a range of subjects. Guided reading sessions for small groups of pupils working with an adult are particularly effective and also help to improve pupils’ skills in speaking and listening. In one session, for example, older pupils enjoyed reading and discussing a letter received by the school during the Second World War, giving instructions on air-raid precautions, linking their history topic work with learning about formal letter-writing styles.  Pupils’ progress in writing is improving because teachers are providing more opportunities for them to practise writing across a range of subjects. However, progress in writing is still weaker than it is in reading and mathematics because teachers do not always insist that children

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

produce their very best written work and the tasks set do not always stretch them to make as much progress as possible.  The school works hard to promote equality of opportunity. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs benefit from the small class sizes in the school and also from the extra help that is provided for them individually or in small groups. As a result, they make good progress from their individual starting points and usually do better than similar pupils nationally. For those very few pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, additional individual support has ensured that there is no gap between their performance and that of pupils in school who are not eligible for them and that their attendance is improving.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some teaching is good or outstanding, but too much requires improvement for it to be good overall. When teaching reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 1, teachers do not always plan activities for the full range of ages and abilities in each class. As a result, work is sometimes too easy for more-able pupils; they spend too much time repeating work they can already do and do not move forwards swiftly enough to reach the standards of which they are capable.  While teachers set individual targets for improving writing, these are not always sufficiently challenging to ensure that all pupils do as well as they can in this subject. Furthermore, teachers do not always use the information gained from the school’s systems to check pupils’ progress as well as they might to identify those pupils who have not made enough progress. This means that teachers do not always step in quickly enough to give extra support and help pupils to catch up.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers in the Early Years Foundation Stage and some teachers in Key Stage 2 consistently deliver lessons of a high quality that enable pupils to make rapid progress. In these lessons, the pace is fast and pupils are motivated to work hard through a range of interesting practical activities. In one lesson for Year 3 and 4 pupils, for example, pupils enjoyed learning about pneumatic systems in a lively session complete with party blowers, syringes and plastic tubing linked to their topic work on robots.  Teachers mark pupils work regularly and also support pupils in checking and marking their own work to help them develop to become better able at working on their own. Pupils are increasingly taking good account of the helpful comments teachers make about their work and acting on this guidance to improve it. This is an improvement since the last inspection.  Teachers set homework tasks which effectively support pupils in continuing their learning at

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

home. The majority of parents are very happy with this provision and appreciate that this helps prepare children well for moving on to secondary education.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well as they move in and around the school and most of them have good attitudes to learning. They say that they feel safe in school because they are well supervised and trust that all the adults care for them, are always friendly and willing to listen to any concerns. Pupils are confident in asking for help when it is needed, answer questions confidently and contribute well to class discussions. They say that bullying of any kind is extremely rare and know that racism is totally unacceptable.  Parents typically comment that the school is a calm and well-ordered environment, particularly since the new headteacher introduced a ‘traffic lights’ system of rewards and sanctions for managing pupils’ behaviour. This is consistently applied throughout the school and ensures that lessons are very rarely disrupted due to poor behaviour. Pupils say that the system is very fair and appreciate the small rewards, such as a little extra playtime, for especially good behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Good provision for sports both in the curriculum and through after-school clubs fosters teamwork skills and respect for themselves and for others. Pupils also enjoy the privileges of being the class ‘VIP’ for a week. They wear the special VIP sweaters with great pride and gain in confidence and self-esteem through being made to feel special by the rest of the school community.  An active school council meets fortnightly to give pupils a voice in how the school is run. Councillors manage a small budget and have purchased extra playground equipment. They also helped to reorganise the way in which pupils come into the hall for lunch so that this is very orderly and gives a moment for quiet reflection before the meal begins.  The vast majority of pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time every day.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher is an outstanding teacher but has too few opportunities to model this for other teachers because she teaches Year 5 and 6 pupils for half of each week. She is a strong and determined leader who has swiftly gained an accurate view of the school’s performance and has already started on an ambitious plan to bring about improvements. English and mathematics subject leaders are not yet sufficiently skilled to be able to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement and this is why leadership and management are not yet good.  The local authority has provided a high level of support to the school since the last inspection. This has been effective in beginning to raise pupils’ achievement and helping the school on its journey of improvement. The level of support has been recently reduced as the determined leadership of the headteacher has strengthened the school’s ability to improve with less external

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The leadership and management requires improvement

support.  The curriculum meets the needs of most pupils well, but there are not enough opportunities to challenge more-able pupils in Key Stage 1 to improve their skills in reading, writing and mathematics across a range of subject areas. This reduces the amount of progress they can make. Pupils and their parents appreciate the wide variety of after-school clubs available every day. Additionally, strong partnership working with other local schools results in many opportunities for trying out a range of sporting activities such as the 'Peninsular Olympics’ which took place in celebration of the 2012 London Olympic Games.  The school works hard to promote pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Whole-school assemblies encourage pupils to think about those less fortunate than themselves, to respect and value other cultures and to reflect on their own actions. Additionally, strong links

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The leadership and management requires improvement

with other local schools recently led to a joint project where pupils learned the need for responsible farming both in their own rural location and in farming communities in Africa. This helped pupils understand their unique place in the context of the wider world and the need to plan a sustainable environment for the future.  The governance of the school:  Governance has improved significantly since the last inspection and governors are playing an increasingly effective part in improvement planning. They regularly undertake ‘learning walks’ and find out, first-hand, how well the school is running. Governors question and challenge school leaders and teachers. They are well-informed about pupils’ achievement, using the school’s own tracking information and national comparisons effectively. They maintain strong links with parents and the local community. Governors are involved in the performance management of the headteacher. They are aware of the school’s arrangements for the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

appraisal of teaching staff but do not yet have a clear enough view of salary structures and progression to enable them to hold teachers to account for those with extra responsibilities who have moved on to the upper pay scale. While governors are aware of how the pupil premium funding has been allocated, they do not yet hold leaders to account for the impact of actions on these pupils progress. The governing body gives support to the headteacher in meeting statutory safeguarding responsibilities, particularly regarding the safety of pupils in and around the school.

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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 112286 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 405386

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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 Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 69 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Bond Headteacher Sarah Coleman Date of previous school inspection 13 January 2011 Telephone number 01539 533480 Fax number 01539 533480 Email address admin@lindale.cumbria.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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