Poringland Primary School

Poringland Primary School and Nursery The Footpath, Poringland, Norwich, NR14 7RF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  Children settle quickly when they start school and they make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils make good progress in Years 1 to 6 and reach above average standards in reading and mathematics.  Teaching is good and there is some that is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations for pupils’ learning. Their planning is excellent and they make very good use of well-chosen resources in their teaching.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They feel safe and have very positive attitudes to learning.  The school is led and managed well. The governing body provides good support for senior leaders and others who lead parts of the school’s work.  Leaders have been successful in raising achievement in recent years and strengthening the quality of teaching. The school is well placed to improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding.  Opportunities for teachers to observe outstanding practice are not fully developed.  Marking to inform pupils of their next steps for learning is not as good in other subjects as it is in literacy.  Individual targets for managing teachers’ performance are not focused sharply enough on making teaching consistently outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 20 lessons and observed all teachers teaching. Eight observations were carried out jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors heard pupils read and looked at samples of their work with senior leaders.  Inspectors held meetings with a group of pupils, 10 governors, middle and senior leaders. Informal discussions were held with 15 parents when they brought their children to school and with pupils at playtime and lunchtime.  Inspectors took account of 51 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and of the 38 questionnaires returned by staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documentation including safeguarding policies, attendance figures, information about pupils’ progress, the school’s self- evaluation, the school improvement plan and the governing body booklet.  During this inspection, inspectors asked additional questions designed to ascertain the school’s

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Information about this inspection

view of the impact and effectiveness of local authority services in supporting school improvement. This information will contribute to work being carried out by Ofsted to assess the use, quality and impact of those services.

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Inspection team

Declan McCarthy, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sa'ad Khaldi Additional Inspector Heather Housden Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils are drawn from the villages of Poringland and the Framinghams and smaller outlying villages.  Nearly all pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free schools or those in local authority care) is below average. Currently, very few pupils are in local authority care.  The proportions of pupils supported at school action and school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are 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.  A new headteacher has taken up post since the last inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  making sure the quality of marking is as good in all subjects as it is in literacy  providing more opportunities for staff to observe outstanding teaching  focusing individual targets to improve teachers’ performance more sharply on developing outstanding teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Nursery with skills and understanding that are broadly typical for their age, although there has been some decline in their attainment on entry especially in language and communication. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage in all the areas of learning, particularly in linking letters to sounds and in personal, social and emotional development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results of the recent Year 1 national test of pupils’ knowledge of letters and sounds were below average. Nevertheless, pupils make good progress at Key Stage 1 and by the end of Year 2, their attainment is above average in reading and mathematics and broadly average in writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 At the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment in 2012 was significantly above average in reading and mathematics, and broadly average in writing. Most pupils made at least the expected amount of progress overall with outstanding progress being made in reading and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s own information about pupils’ attainment, lesson observations and pupils’ work show that pupils are continuing to make good progress and standards are rising in reading and writing. There are no significant differences in the attainment of boys and girls. The few disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 At the end of Key Stage 1, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals did less well than their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics in 2012. At the end of Key Stage 2, the very few pupils known to be eligible for free school meals were approximately a year behind their classmates in English and in mathematics, having made less progress than other pupils in English and mathematics. Nevertheless, they make good progress from their starting points, which was also confirmed by the large majority of parents and carers who responded to parent view and to the school's own survey of parents and carers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small number of looked after children did much better than their national counterparts and better than their classmates in 2012. The school’s records of its pupil premium spending show that it is gradually enabling the pupils for whom it is intended to make faster progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good across the school and there is some that is outstanding. Rigorous checks on teaching by senior leaders has led to a steady rise in the proportion of outstanding teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make excellent use of practical resources to stimulate pupils’ learning. For example, in the Nursery, children used play dough to place eyes and legs on their insects as the teacher challenged them to say what they were making. In a Year 4 and 5 lesson, pupils used the interactive whiteboard to develop their understanding of changing verbs from the past to the present tense.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers ensure that planning builds systematically on pupils’ prior learning from one year group to the next. In a lesson where children in Reception worked with pupils from Year 1 for science, the groups were given different tasks that were matched well to their needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lessons have a clear structure and teachers always refer to pupils’ prior learning before teaching new concepts. Teachers have high expectations and constantly challenge pupils to try harder. In a Year 5 and 6 literacy lesson, the teacher challenged pupils to use persuasive arguments in discussing a range of issues in favour or against homework. In a Year 3 and 4 lesson, pupils were challenged to use their knowledge and examples of riddles to improve their poetry writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of communication, literacy and numeracy is good and this enables pupils to make good progress. The teaching of reading is a particular strength, and all pupils are encouraged to read widely in school and take their reading books home.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make sure that literacy and numeracy skills are promoted well in different subjects. For example, in a Year 3 and 4 design and technology lesson, the teacher promoted numeracy and literacy well as pupils created a net to construct lunchboxes of different shapes. They were asked to record their presentations using ‘bossy verbs’ and ‘describing words’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers vary activities so that pupils have good opportunities to learn in pairs, as a whole class and independently.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have good knowledge of their subjects and know their pupils well. Assessment is used well to plan activities matched to individual needs, to provide feedback to pupils on how well they are doing and to clarify any misunderstandings in their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is good and teachers always write comments showing pupils how well they are doing. Sometimes, they provide written comments to inform pupils of their next steps, though this is more consistent in literacy than in other subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good support from teaching assistants, who break tasks down into smaller steps, enables disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs to make equally good progress as their classmates.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour around the school is good and at times, it is outstanding. Pupils feel safe in all areas of the school and move with care from classrooms to other areas of the school. They are safety conscious when handling equipment and know how to use the internet safely.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons and pupils’ attitudes to learning are good and sometimes outstanding. For example, during a local theatre workshop about The Hobbit, pupils in Years 5 and 6 were exceptionally well behaved and utterly focused on learning. They displayed great excitement and a sense of wonder at crucial moments, such as the very safe use of pyrotechnics for visual effect.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Nearly all parents who expressed their views feel that behaviour and safety are good, which was also confirmed in informal discussion with parents during the inspection. Most believe that the rare incidents of bullying are dealt with effectively, which was also confirmed by pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of the different types of bullying and how to prevent it. They say that if such incidents occur, they are dealt with very quickly and effectively by staff. The school encourages good relationships and makes sure any discrimination is quickly tackled.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage feel safe, learn to share and take turns because staff pay good attention to their personal, emotional and social development and ensure their safety and well-being.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ good attitudes to school are reflected in their above average attendance and in their good engagement in all after-school activities.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders are strongly focused on continuously improving the school and making sure all pupils are given equal opportunities to succeed. Their self-evaluation is accurate and they use their checks on the school’s work to set clear priorities for improving teaching and learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Systematic and rigorous checks on teachers’ work have led to good teaching across the school, with a growing proportion that is outstanding. Clear individual targets are set for teachers in order to improve the quality of teaching. However, these are not always focused sharply enough on increasing the proportion of outstanding teaching with reference to national guidance on teaching standards. Teachers have not all had the opportunity to observe outstanding teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 Targets for staff are linked to the headteacher’s performance targets and based on the school’s well-chosen priorities for development which ensures a strong shared sense of purpose.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides appropriately light touch support for this good school and believes that senior leaders will access support as and when they need it. For example, the school has made effective use of training provided by the local authority to improve the accuracy of assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage and to strengthen governors’ monitoring of safeguarding.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subjects and topics place strong emphasis on developing the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and communication. There are wide-ranging opportunities that enrich pupils’ learning, such as after-school clubs, educational visits, visitors to school and residential experiences.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted exceptionally well through the many opportunities pupils have to learn together, to reflect and celebrate their successes. They have very good opportunities to learn about other cultures and traditions through, for example, their project on Kenya and learning about different world religions.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s very good partnership with parents is reflected in their good attendance at parents’ evenings and the many opportunities for them to participate in the life of the school, such as helping in classrooms, on educational visits and at school functions. Nearly all parents who expressed a view said they would recommend this school to others.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good links with other schools and the community have enabled the school to develop its practice further, for example, in sharpening assessment through the moderation of pupils’ work with other schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors ensure that the school meets all legal requirements, especially for safeguarding. Procedures for checking the suitability of staff to work with children are rigorous and all training for safeguarding is up to date. Governors use information about the progress of pupils well to compare its performance with other schools. They have a good understanding of how teachers’ performance is managed and, for example, how the best teachers are rewarded financially. They have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and how it is improving, through first-hand visits to the school and in their scrutiny of detailed reports from school leaders. Governors make sure pupil premium funding is spent wisely to achieve value for money by reviewing the progress of different groups of pupils and comparing this with the progress of the rest of the pupils.

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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 120841 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 403449

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 284 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jennifer Thetford Headteacher Richard Burbage Date of previous school inspection 30 June 2008 Telephone number 01508 492530 Fax number 01508 494736 Email address office@poringland.norfolk.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

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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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