Fulstow Community Primary School

Fulstow Community Primary School Churchthorpe, Fulstow, Louth, LN11 0XL

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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.  Better teaching and leadership have ensured that pupils now achieve well, whatever their starting points.  Pupils are very well known to staff, which helps them to keep a close check on their learning and well-being.  Teachers use the information they gather about pupils’ progress well to provide extra help for those who need it.  Pupils enjoy school, behave well and have very positive attitudes to their learning. Attendance is above average.  Teachers successfully plan for classes of mixed age and ability for the vast majority of time. They provide a broad and interesting range of topics.  Leaders evaluate the school’s work accurately and know what needs to improve. They work well with staff to tackle weaknesses. Leaders’ and governors’ efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning have been effective. The school has improved well since the last inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, more could be expected of more-able pupils.  When pupils write in subjects other than English, there are too few opportunities for them to write longer pieces of work and in different styles.  When teachers mark work in subjects other than English, they do not pay enough attention to pupils’ literacy skills.  A small minority of parents and carers are unhappy with some aspects of the school’s work and do not feel that their views are taken into account sufficiently well.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited eight lessons, three of which were observed together with the headteacher.  He held discussions with pupils, the headteacher, staff, two governors and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector examined a range of documents, including a summary of the school’s self- evaluation, the school improvement plan, and policies aimed at keeping pupils safe.  The views of 19 parents and carers were analysed through the Parent View website. The inspector also spoke informally to parents and carers to seek their views about the school.  The views expressed by nine staff who returned a questionnaire were considered.

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Inspection team

Keith Williams, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. Children in Reception are taught in a class with pupils from Years 1 and 2. Pupils in Key Stage 2 are taught in two classes each morning for literacy and numeracy, and as a whole key stage during afternoon sessions. No alternative provision is used by the school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is well above average. The proportion at school action plus, or who have a statement of special educational needs, is below average.  A well below average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which is additional government funding for particular groups of pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below average. None speak English

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Information about this school

as an additional language.  The school’s national test results cannot be compared to the government’s floor standard, because there are fewer than the minimum of 11 pupils required to make such a comparison meaningful.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning by:  providing a consistent level of challenge for more-able pupils  giving pupils more opportunities to write for a variety of purposes and at length in other subjects  providing pupils with precise feedback to improve their literacy skills when they write in other subjects.  Build on the work done to establish good relationships with parents and carers by making sure that all feel that their views are heard and are taken into account in decision-making.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The number in each year group is very small and the proportion of more-able pupils, or those who find learning difficult, varies considerably. As a result, standards fluctuate widely from year to year. Whatever their starting points, pupils make good progress across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in the Reception Year learn well during the activities that are designed specifically for them and when taught alongside older class-mates. They have good opportunities to make choices and decisions for themselves, and particularly enjoy learning outside. The teacher and teaching assistant work well together to enable children to get off to a good start.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Across the school, pupils make good progress in learning to read. Older pupils read widely for pleasure and to help them learn. Younger pupils have good knowledge of letters and sounds and use their skills well to read unfamiliar words.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ progress has accelerated in mathematics because there is a stronger emphasis on promoting their confidence and independence in solving problems. There are well-planned opportunities for them to use their mathematical skills to help their learning in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well in writing, but their progress is not as quick as in reading and mathematics. They learn to write for a variety of purposes and to different audiences in English sessions, but opportunities for them to do so in other subjects are more limited. There are few examples, in these subjects, of pupils writing at length, for example to develop an argument or a point of view.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The very few pupils eligible for pupil premium make good progress in English and mathematics, in line with all other pupils in the school. The attainment of the oldest pupils eligible for free school meals, in English and mathematics, is a little lower than other pupils nationally, but the performance gap is closing. Children who are looked after attain similar National Curriculum levels to other pupils in English and mathematics and make good progress in these subjects, which is similar to their class-mates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well because they are given appropriate work and good support in and out of lessons. As a result, they play a full part in lessons, achieve the objectives set for them, enjoy school and often make rapid progress. In most lessons, more-able pupils learn well but, occasionally, more could be expected of them, and their progress slows when the level of challenge is not quite high enough.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Improved teaching has contributed strongly to pupils’ good progress. Lessons are invariably calm, well organised and productive learning takes place. Pupils contribute by being ready and eager to learn. As a result, teachers and pupils are able to concentrate fully on the job in hand. Teaching is sometimes outstanding in mathematics in Key Stage 2.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants ensure that pupils who find learning difficult are given the right amount of help to enable them to succeed. More-able pupils are usually given harder work but, occasionally, they are given too much help, or the work is too similar to that given to other pupils, which limits the opportunities for them to make decisions about their learning.  Teachers ensure that pupils understand what they are expected to learn and they check carefully on their progress during and at the end of lessons. They praise pupils well for their efforts and correct any misunderstandings sensitively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is good in English and mathematics. Teachers give pupils detailed comments about what they have learned and how they can improve. They mark work in other subjects conscientiously, but do not always give enough feedback to help pupils improve their writing skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff use the school’s small size to their advantage. They know each pupil well and keep a close check on how each individual is doing. Teachers assess pupils’ progress regularly and build up plentiful information about their performance. They use this information well to mostly plan suitable work for all abilities and give an extra boost to those needing it.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Staff give a high priority to promoting a strong set of moral and social values, which were drawn up in agreement with parents, carers and pupils. These values are well understood by all, especially the pupils. Their very positive attitudes to school, and their enjoyment of everything it offers, make a considerable impact on improving pupils’ academic learning, personal development and attendance.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils typically behave well. Their behaviour in lessons is often exemplary. They work hard, concentrate well and show great determination when they find work difficult. Children in Reception soon learn to take responsibility for their actions and to collect and put away equipment for themselves.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 On the playground, older pupils mix well with younger ones, but a few pupils say that some pupils are sometimes unkind and do not include them in their play. Nevertheless, they say that bullying is very rare and they are confident that it would be dealt with effectively were it to happen.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say, and their parents and carers agree, that they feel safe in school. They usually play with good regard for each others’ safety. Pupils feel well prepared to stay safe in the outside world and they understand that bullying can take different forms.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils contribute well to the life of the school. They enjoy taking on extra responsibilities, for example, by joining the school council. Much is done to promote a family ‘feel’ and pupils appreciate that they are well known to staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 A combination of in-house training and outside expertise, including effective support by the local authority, has helped teachers to build their skills and improve their performance. The headteacher sets a good example with his own teaching, and works well with staff to identify and tackle areas within their teaching that still require improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 As the school has improved significantly, the support provided by the local authority is light- touch and has, for example, concentrated on improving the assessment of pupils’ work and marking.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders evaluate the school’s work thoroughly and make good use of the information that they collect about pupils’ progress to hold teachers accountable for their performance. Staff are united in the drive to continue to improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 Most parents and carers are supportive of what the school offers. The school has worked well with them to establish good links, seek their views and ensure that they are well informed about their children and school life. A small minority of parents are not so happy and do not feel that enough account is taken of their views.

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The leadership and management are good

 The small number of staff share the responsibility for leading and improving subjects. They plan interesting topics that successfully promote pupils’ personal development and effectively build on pupils’ learning in previous years. Good steps have been taken to improve planning in mathematics, so that pupils use and extend their numeracy skills when they study other subjects. The planning for pupils to further develop their writing in all subjects is not as comprehensive.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance has improved and is effective. Governors have introduced good systems to ensure that their training is kept up-to-date, and to enable new governors to find their feet quickly. They visit school regularly to find out about the school’s performance for themselves, and they analyse thoroughly the information gathered about pupils’ progress. Consequently, governors have a good understanding of the quality of teaching and learning, know what is working well and what needs to improve, and are well placed to hold leaders to account. They oversee spending well and ask probing questions about key decisions to check that value for money is achieved. For example, they know that the individual support given to pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is enabling them to raise their attainment levels. Good links are made between the performance of teachers and salary progression. They know what is done to

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The leadership and management are good

reward good teachers and to tackle any underperformance. Governors take very effective steps to ensure that pupils are safe and recruitment procedures are robust. The systems follow recommended good practice and meet government 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 120447 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 405927

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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 45 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Vanessa Aldridge Headteacher Jonathan Grant Date of previous school inspection 3 March 2011 Telephone number 01507 363226 Fax number 01507 363226 Email address office@fulstow.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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