Caton Primary School

Caton Community Primary School Broadacre, Caton, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA2 9NH

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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 achieve well and all make good progress from their individual starting points.  Teaching is good and includes many experiences that make the pupils’ time at school full of happy memories. Lessons are often exciting and practical and capture pupils’ enthusiasm for learning.  The curriculum puts a strong focus on pupils growing in independence with confidence to make decisions about their own learning. This prepares them well for moving on to secondary education.  Staff turn the small size of the school into an advantage by relating well to all pupils. As a result pupils say they feel very safe and reassured that help is available. Behaviour is good and occasionally exemplary.  The headteacher enables staff to follow new ideas and be creative in their teaching. Changes have had a positive impact on the overall quality of teaching and pupils’ achievements. The school has improved since

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the previous inspection and with an effective governing body is well placed to sustain this improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although most make good progress in lessons, there are occasions when work is not always at the right level and the pace is not brisk enough to sustain pupils’ interest.  Opportunities for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage to learn outdoors are not organised as successfully as those indoors.  The school’s plan for future improvements does not always set high enough targets and success is not linked precisely enough to raising attainment.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in both classes.  Meetings were held with staff, the headteacher, a group of pupils, members of the governing body, and a representative of the local authority.  Pupils from Years 2 and 6 read to the inspector.  The inspector looked at pupils’ books from Years 2 and 6.  A range of documents were scrutinised including the school’s plan for future improvements, information about pupils’ progress and safeguarding.  The school’s website was reviewed.  Although eight parents recorded their views on the online questionnaire (Parent View) this is not enough for their views to be shown on the site. Other parents shared their views about the school with the inspector at the start of the school day and one by telephone.  The inspector analysed four returns by staff to the inspection questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Jennifer Platt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in two classes. One class includes children from the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 and the other is for pupils in Key Stage 2.  Very few pupils are from minority ethnic groups and no pupils are identified as speaking English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding provided for children in local authority care, those from service families and those known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average but varies from year to year.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is above average. 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 the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and increase the rate of pupils’ progress from good to outstanding by:  ensuring all lessons go at a brisk pace and activities throughout the lesson match every pupils’ needs and sustain their interest in learning  making better use of the outdoor space for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make the school’s plan for improvement more effective by:  ensuring targets are always high enough  checking that actions link more precisely to their impact on pupils’ progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The very small numbers of pupils, sometimes as few as two in each year, leads to variation between attainment on entry and on leaving school. Overall children start school with levels that are broadly typical for their age but some years are lower especially in aspects of communication, especially writing. Progress is good and the younger children benefit from sharing with the older pupils in Key Stage1 who encourage their social skills and speaking and listening.  Letters and sounds are taught effectively in small groups in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Tasks are set at the correct level and include small games and the use of puppets to enliven and sustain interest. Progress is good and the result of the 2012 national assessment in reading was slightly above average.  Attainment varies with the different cohorts being average some years and above average other years. Results of national assessment in 2012 were above average at the end of Key Stages 1

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The achievement of pupils is good

and 2. Progress from pupils’ individual starting points is good from Year 1 to Year 6.  Reading has been a focus and in Year 2 pupils use their knowledge of letters and sounds to tackle new words successfully. Older pupils have favourite authors and recount what has happened in a story and how it might end. The school links subjects imaginatively and this leads to success in writing in different styles. In Year 2 pupils make lists and write instructions and in Year 6 they record their research in notes. Most pupils use punctuation correctly and work is presented well although some could write more neatly.  Mathematics was strong in test results and pupils’ books show confidence in handling number and accuracy in calculations.  All pupils achieve well but on occasions in lessons tasks do not always match pupils’ needs to ensure the pace of learning is always brisk.  Very few pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. The school uses the funding to

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The achievement of pupils is good

sustain staffing ratios so that all pupils follow individual programmes. If the need arises, help is provided to enable these pupils to take part in school activities and this ensures equality of opportunities for all pupils. This group, including the pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, make good and often very good progress at least in line with other pupils. Attainment is similar to other pupils throughout the school.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs also benefit from being taught in small groups. Parents who met the inspector praised the help their children received. Overall progress is good with examples of outstanding progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good overall and enables pupils to make good progress. Behaviour is managed well and lessons, while often lively, are orderly.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught alongside pupils from Key Stage 1. Overall this is managed effectively with a good balance of free choice and activities led by an adult. Lessons are often planned around a theme as when making and eating porridge after reading the story of Katie Morag. This makes learning more interesting and displays show some good quality work produced.  The outdoor space for the younger children is attractive but not organised effectively enough to ensure the same variety as children experience indoors. Occasionally, there is not enough adult support to interact with children outdoors or indoors to sustain their learning, as, for example, by taking on a role in the home corner.  Pupils in Years 1 to 6 enjoy learning, especially as the demands for them to become more

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The quality of teaching is good

independent increase in Key Stage 2. Older pupils appreciate having their weekly lists of items on offer and the freedom to select aspects of their learning.  Teachers have good subject knowledge. Reading and mathematics are taught successfully. Pupils appreciate the time allocated to reading individually to an adult. Learning is effective during the quick-fire sessions of mental mathematics. Pupils’ books indicate that when worksheets are used they match the different abilities in the class but are not always as exciting and challenging as other aspects of the curriculum.  Assessment is used well when planning most activities. Occasionally, this is less effective and tasks do not keep pupils interested throughout the lesson. On the other hand, the use of assessment to inform pupils about how to improve is done very well. The regular conferences with pupils about their work clarify any misunderstanding and accelerate their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The very small size of this school is a real strength. Everyone knows each other and there is a warm and friendly atmosphere. Pupils say they feel safe because they know staff have a genuine concern for their welfare.  Behaviour is good. Pupils identify that in lessons a few ‘mess about’ but during the inspection little of this was observed. The older pupils showed exemplary behaviour as they welcomed warmly the pupils from their link school in Manchester. These pupils are from a large city school, very different to this school. It was a delight to see the pupils sharing ideas and at play it was difficult to tell the pupils apart as they all joined in games together.  Pupils show an awareness of different types of bullying and say it does not happen in their school because they are all friends. They heed warnings about cyber bullying and know how to keep safe when using computers.  In lessons most work hard. There is an odd time when pupils get restless or their work could be

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

presented more neatly. However, they enjoy learning and it is not surprising attendance is above average.  Pupils summed their school up as ‘a really happy school, all follow the same code and know how to behave as pupils both in and out of school’. This shows how well they absorb the school’s message about accepting responsibility for themselves and prepares them well for the future.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher encourages innovation and is brave enough to implement changes that are especially beneficial for a small school with limited staff. All share management responsibilities and have an accurate picture of what works well and the next priorities. This effective leadership has improved the overall effectiveness of the school from satisfactory at the previous inspection to good.  The thorough tracking of pupils’ progress is based on checking individual progress. Extra help is provided if needed and success is seen in the good progress of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those eligible for pupil-premium funding. Staff meetings discuss any lack of progress. Teachers are set targets based on pupils’ progress and increases in salary are only awarded when targets are met.  Teaching is monitored and the headteacher is clear about the quality of teaching and what

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The leadership and management are good

requires attention. Weaker aspects have been tackled with effective training and support. For example, the use of assessment is improving with individual pupil conferences. Only a few minor variations in the quality of teaching remain.  The effective checks on progress and teaching lead to accurate priorities. These are set out in a well-organised school development plan. However, targets in the plan are not always high enough and there is a lack of precision about the impact of actions on pupils’ progress.  A rolling programme of topics and thorough planning ensure that the curriculum accurately matches the different ages of pupils. The school exploits fully all resources although the outdoor space for the younger children is not always used as effectively as it could be. The current theme of environments has captured the interest of pupils as they design habitats for different animals. Their enthusiasm has been enhanced by visits from a bat expert which led to

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The leadership and management are good

investigation into the school’s amazing grounds. These experiences combined with the links with other schools promote effectively pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Links with the local authority are productive. Guidance has helped in analysis of data and training for governors.  The governance of the school:  Governors are well informed about school because they are regular visitors, receive weekly newsletters and are linked with subjects. They are clear about the quality of teaching and through their financial control know that pay awards are based on performance. Governors review data about pupils’ progress and challenge statistics and enquire about support. They know that pupil-premium funding is used as part of the budget to sustain good staffing ratios. Although governors are less sure about any specific interventions they are very clear that the funding enables all pupils to follow individual programmes. The governing body fulfils its

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The leadership and management are good

statutory duties, particularly checking that safeguarding arrangements meet 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 119322 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 405851

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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 43 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stephen Clarkson Headteacher Shabnam Cadwallender Date of previous school inspection 16 March 2011 Telephone number 01524 770104 Fax number 01524 770104 Email address head@caton.lancs.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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