The Gonerby Hill Foot Church of England Primary School

The Gonerby Hill Foot Church of England Primary School Gonerby Hill Foot, Grantham, NG31 8HQ Inspection dates 24–25 January 2013

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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

 Teaching is not consistently good across the school and too many lessons still require improvement. Although the best teachers are now supporting weaker colleagues, their skills have yet to be fully shared.  From their starting points, the rate at which pupils achieve and make progress does not compare favourably with pupils nationally, particularly in mathematics.  In some lessons, pupils spend too long listening to the teacher and do not have enough opportunities to work on their own and find out things for themselves. Pupils’ learning is not checked regularly enough in all lessons to make sure the work is not too easy or too hard.  Teachers’ questioning does not always fully involve all pupils in the lesson. It is often directed only to those pupils who put their hands up. Pupils are not given sufficient guidance on how to reach their targets and achieve the next level in their work.  Although pupils’ progress is now assessed

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

regularly, this information is not yet used consistently to plan future lessons.  Leadership and management require improvement because the roles of middle leaders and managers are not fully developed. Although their expertise is increasing, they still require support from experienced colleagues when checking teaching and pupils’ progress in their areas of responsibility.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher has a very accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and her leadership, together with that of the governors, has been instrumental in bringing about improvement.  Children get a good start to their education in the Early Years Foundation Stage where they quickly settle into school routines, make good progress and achieve well.  Pupils feel safe at school. Their behaviour in lessons and around the school is typically good. Attendance is above average.  Since the last inspection, some of the weaknesses in teaching have been tackled. Pupils’ behaviour and the tracking of their progress have improved. Consequently, pupils’ achievement is now beginning to rise. Inspection report: The Gonerby Hill Foot Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons and part-lessons. They also listened to pupils read and observed the teaching of literacy and numeracy to smaller groups of pupils.  Discussions were held with pupils, parents, staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ books, progress data, safeguarding information and other documentation.  Fifty-one responses to the on-line questionnaire ‘Parent View’ were considered as well as those from the school’s own parental survey and from school staff.

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Inspection team

Ann Ashdown, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Lynda Smith Additional Inspector Mike Williams Additional Inspector Inspection report: The Gonerby Hill Foot Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding) is well below the national average.  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and of pupils who speak English as an additional language are below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is well below average while the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  Pupils are educated on-site. There is no regular alternative off-site provision.  The Church of England Diocese of Lincoln inspects the religious character of the school. This report is available separately.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so it is consistently good or better across the school by;  providing a better balance in lessons between the time pupils spend listening to the teacher and that spent working on their own, finding out things for themselves and solving problems  checking pupils’ learning regularly during lessons to make sure work is not too easy or too hard for them  targeting questions to all pupils, not just those who put their hands up, so they are all fully involved in the lesson.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment and speed up pupils’ progress, particularly in mathematics, by:  making better use of the results of assessments to plan future lessons  giving pupils clear guidance in all lessons on how to reach their targets or the next level in their work  sharing teachers’ skills even more widely across the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build the expertise of middle leaders and managers particularly in:  analysing the results of tests to check pupils’ progress and deciding when they require extra help  checking and improving the quality of teaching in their subject areas. Inspection report: The Gonerby Hill Foot Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the school with skills which are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress in the Reception classes, but this progress slows as they move through the school and requires improvement. Standards reached in tests and assessments in 2012 were broadly average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement was better in English than in mathematics. In English, the proportion of pupils who made the progress expected of them was just above that found nationally but in mathematics it was below. In both English and mathematics, fewer pupils than nationally made better than expected progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school has recently improved the way in which pupils’ standards are assessed and their progress measured. Although this information is not yet used fully to plan lessons, it does show that current pupils are beginning to make faster progress and achievement is rising. This is helping to compensate for their previous underachievement in some classes.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, pupils who speak English as an additional language and the small number of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium progress at the same rate as their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The pupil premium is spent wisely on providing small-group teaching and one-to-one tuition for those who need extra help. However, although the progress of these pupils is accelerating, test scores at the end of Year 6 show there is still a gap in the standards they reach, particularly in mathematics, compared to other groups of pupils in the school.  In lessons, pupils have good attitudes to learning. Most concentrate well, are keen to answer questions and work hard.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Many pupils are keen readers, enjoy reading at home and read a range of texts fluently. In phonics (the sound that letters make) tests in 2012 pupils’ results were well above those found nationally. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs benefit from effective help from both teachers and teaching assistants in understanding the sounds that letters make and improving their reading skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching varies across the school from requiring improvement to good. Some weaknesses in teaching have been tackled successfully and the quality of teaching is improving. However, the teaching is not good enough in all lessons to enable all groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, to make good progress and achieve well.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In lessons which require improvement, teachers often talk for too long and learning slows because pupils who are keen to start work on their own do not get enough opportunities to do so. A few pupils become a little restless when they do not get the chance to find out things for themselves, solve problems and get on with practical activities.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons, teachers do not engage all pupils fully in learning because they ask questions only of those who put their hands up rather than the whole class. Sometimes, work can be too easy or too hard for pupils and teachers are not aware of this because pupils’ understanding is not checked regularly during the lesson. Inspection report: The Gonerby Hill Foot Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons, pupils get clear guidance on how to reach their targets and take the next steps in their learning. However, this good practice is not yet fully shared across the school and, in less successful lessons, pupils are unsure how to improve their work to reach a higher level.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Strengths seen in teaching are the good relationships teachers have with their pupils and the skilful way they manage their classes. In the best lessons, they use a range of attractive resources, including information and communication technology, to engage their pupils’ interest and ensure they make maximum progress in both literacy and mathematics. Practical activities and the chance to work in pairs and groups add to pupils’ enjoyment of learning and also help them develop good social skills in sharing, listening and cooperating with each other.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the Reception classes, children make good progress because teaching is good. A sensible balance of well-structured activities led by the teacher and those which they choose for themselves ensures children quickly become confident learners.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In an English lesson in Key Stage 1, pupils made good progress as they confidently identified features such as titles, labels, captions, and speech bubbles in a range of interesting texts. Pupils in Key Stage 2 also enjoyed learning as they worked in pairs and carefully used their limited budget to calculate the cost of building their ‘robot theme park’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are punctual and their attendance is above average.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils typically behave well both in lessons and around the school. They have good attitudes to learning and are keen to succeed. Behaviour records show that incidents of poor behaviour are rare and that any challenging behaviour is managed well by staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe in school. They understand that there are different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying, but are rightly confident that should any incidents of bullying occur they will be dealt with swiftly. They know how to stay safe and have a sensible attitude to risk taking.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Responses to the on-line questionnaire, Parent View, indicate that most parents agree that their children feel safe in school, are well looked after and that bullying is dealt with effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Assemblies and lessons promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils enjoy good opportunities to take responsibility, for example, as house captains and members of the school council. Older pupils can voice their opinions in a persuasive, mature and balanced way.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable are supported well by the school and receive expert help when this is needed. Pupils and their parents are especially appreciative of the personal help and support that the school gives.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher, after one year in post, has a very clear and accurate view of where the school’s strengths and weaknesses lie. Although more school improvement is still required, weaknesses are being tackled effectively and pupils’ progress is beginning to quicken. Inspection report: The Gonerby Hill Foot Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 6 of 9

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Staff are deployed well and a more robust approach to managing the performance of teachers is ensuring that they are more accountable for the progress of their pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Lessons are now observed regularly by senior leaders and staff are given constructive advice and further training when this is needed. However, leadership and management still require improvement because middle managers have yet to develop their expertise fully to be able to check both the quality of teaching and the progress of pupils. The skills of the best teachers, although now shared more fully, are not yet shared widely enough.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 All groups of pupils are given equal opportunities to succeed, and discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. Extra funding is used well to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum has been reviewed and meets pupils’ needs and supports their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Exciting topics such as ‘Robots’ and ‘Crime Scene Investigation’ link subjects together and appeal to pupils’ interests. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the varied extra activities they enjoy, for example, taking part in high-quality singing as part of ‘Young Voices’ and undertaking challenging outdoor activities on a residential visit.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding meets requirements. Staff are fully trained and have a good awareness of child protection and risk assessment issues.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has provided good support for the school. When requested, it has provided assistance with data analysis, aspects of leadership and management and teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governance has improved since the last inspection. Governors have a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and are helping to bring about improvement. They have a secure knowledge of the school’s performance data, of the performance management of staff and how they are rewarded and the quality of teaching. They hold the school to account for the way in which the pupil premium is spent. Inspection report: The Gonerby Hill Foot Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 7 of 9

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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. Inspection report: The Gonerby Hill Foot Church of England Primary School, 24–25 January 2013 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 120524 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 405935

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 315 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rob Jackson Headteacher Claire Stylianides Date of previous school inspection 17 May 2011 Telephone number 01476 565800 Fax number 01476 569647 Email address enquiries@gonerbyhillfoot.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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