Lindhead School

Lindhead School Limestone Road, Burniston, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO13 0DG

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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.  The experienced headteacher, ably supported by her new deputy, all staff and the governing body, sets a clear direction for the school’s work and is driving forward school improvement.  Teaching is good and there is a determined drive to make it better. The best teaching sees learning moving on rapidly because work is challenging for pupils of all abilities.  Pupils play their part in the successes of the school through their good, and sometimes outstanding, behaviour and readiness to learn.  The successful promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at the heart of the school’s work and relationships are strong at all levels.  Most parents hold the school in high regard.  Most pupils make good progress from their broadly average starting points. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics are above the national average by the end of Year 6.  English and science are well represented within

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet consistently good in all lessons and there are too few outstanding lessons to secure outstanding progress.  Subject leaders are not yet involved enough in checking on how pupils learn in lessons to provide them with the best possible overview of what works well and what needs doing.  The thorough monitoring of teaching does not focus sharply enough on how pupils of different abilities learn.  An overuse of worksheets sometimes restricts progress and reduces interest.  Although attainment in mathematics is above average it is a little lower than in English.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 14 lessons, taught by 9 teachers, three of which were joint observations carried out with the headteacher. They also observed pupils working in groups outside classrooms in sessions led by teaching assistants.  They held meetings with governors, staff and pupils. The lead inspector also talked to a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors listened to three pupils in Year 2 and three pupils in Year 6 read.  Inspectors observed pupils’ work in all classes, especially focusing on the Reception class and Years 2, 4 and 6. They studied a range of documents including: the school’s improvement plan; external monitoring reports carried out by local authority representatives; the school’s own evaluation of its work; attendance information; records of the monitoring of lessons undertaken by the headteacher; documentation relating to pupils’ safety and equality; planning documents;

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Information about this inspection

and the school’s own analysis of data on pupils’ progress.  Inspectors took account of the 56 responses on Parent View and letters from parents.

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Inspection team

Derek Pattinson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Nina Heron Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Lindhead School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is well below average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and who speak English as an additional language are well below what is typical nationally. None are at an early stage of learning English.  The proportion 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 floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There have been significant staffing changes since the last inspection, including the appointment of a new deputy head teacher from September 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all teaching is at least good and that more is outstanding in order to raise pupils’ achievement further, especially in mathematics, by:  checking that activities are always at the right level of challenge and that pupils have enough time to work independently  ensuring that pupils are always clear about what they must learn and how well they are doing  always providing opportunities for pupils to share what they have learnt and what they are unsure about in order to help teachers build carefully next time on what they know  making sure that teachers’ marking always helps pupils to move forward  reducing the use of worksheets wherever possible.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen further the strong leadership and management by:  increasing opportunities for subject leaders to check regularly on how pupils learn in lessons in order to provide them with the best possible overview of what needs doing  focusing more sharply on how pupils of different abilities learn when checking regularly on the quality of teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils achieve well, especially in English. Indeed, by the time pupils leave the school standards in reading, writing and mathematics are above average. Standards are not quite as high in mathematics, although they are still just above average by the end of Year 6.  Children enter the Reception class with skills that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress in this class because of the good teaching and provision.  Progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 in English and mathematics is good for all groups of pupils, including for those who are disabled or have special educational needs and those who receive the pupil premium including those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school’s detailed tracking shows that results are likely to be lower at the end of Key Stage 2 this year, but progress is good for this group because their starting points at the end of Key Stage 1 were lower than in previous years. Many pupils in Year 6 are successfully making

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The achievement of pupils is good

accelerated progress in both English and mathematics.  Leaders place significant emphasis on analysing progress data so that they know how well pupils are doing. As a result, individual needs are identified early so that a variety of successful support arrangements can be employed, often using skilled teaching assistants, when pupils are at risk of falling behind. These varied approaches, along with the rigorous checking procedures, are helping leaders narrow gaps in the performance of different groups, such as between boys and girls and between the very small group that are eligible for free school meals and those who are not. As a result, the attainment of pupils eligible for free school meals is now closer to the national average in English and mathematics, although not yet as high as others in the school. Leaders set challenging targets and these help drive up standards further.  Pupils make good gains in learning to read with fluency, accuracy and understanding. This is

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The achievement of pupils is good

because the promotion of reading and writing is given a high profile within the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A wide range of inspection evidence showed teaching to be securely good. Many more positive features were seen than negative features. Some teaching seen was outstanding and a minority required improvement.  Teaching in the Reception class ensures that children make a good start to their learning. All adults work hard to engage children in conversation, stimulate their curiosity, extend their knowledge, develop important skills and nurture independence, such as when children completed story maps of the Three Little Pigs.  Typical of the most effective teaching in Key Stages 1 and 2 was a Year 5 lesson in which pupils were learning to use similes and metaphors in their writing. In this lesson pupils made good progress because work was challenging and matched to pupils’ needs, the teacher’s subject knowledge was secure, time was used well and pupils knew precisely what was required of them.  Relationships at all levels are good and teachers give pupils much encouragement. This ensures

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The quality of teaching is good

that pupils are keen to learn and there is a strong working atmosphere.  Skilled teaching assistants ensure that pupils with special educational needs, and the small number who receive additional funding through the pupil premium, make similarly good progress to other pupils.  A little teaching requires improvement. For example, in a lesson on capacity in mathematics learning was not linked to real life and did not fully capture pupils’ interest and involvement. They were not clear about what they had to learn or how they were doing, and work was not at the right level of challenge for some pupils, thus restricting progress.  A very small number of lessons have other shortcomings which limit progress. For example, occasionally pupils have too little time for independent work especially when worksheets are used. Teachers’ marking, mostly in mathematics, does not always help pupils to improve. Pupils

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The quality of teaching is good

sometimes do not have opportunities to share what they have learnt and what they are unsure about.  The teaching of reading and writing, boosted by successful recent initiatives, is effective in ensuring that pupils read and write with increasing confidence. Pupils increasingly write for different purposes and in different subjects, such as when pupils from Key Stage 1 compiled directions so that Little Red Riding Hood can escape from the clutches of the Big Bad Wolf!

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils, including those who may be vulnerable due to their circumstances, enjoy school, which helps to explain why attendance is at least average and most pupils arrive punctually.  Almost all pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are keen to do well in lessons and when working in small groups. This is especially so when lessons inspire them to learn, such as in a Year 2 practical mathematics lesson in which pupils used a wide range of resources to solve money problems. Pupils persevere even on the very rare occasions when lessons are less inspiring.  Behaviour in lessons is almost always good and sometimes outstanding. For example, Reception children behaved impeccably in a lesson linking letters to the sounds they make. However, occasional restlessness and off-task conversations occur when pupils are not inspired or are not clear about what they must learn.  Behaviour is almost always managed well. Pupils say they like the reward system, involving the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

regular use of merits leading to bronze, silver and gold awards, and understand the sanctions imposed, believing them to be fair. They know about different forms of bullying. They say that inappropriate behaviour, including bullying, very occasionally occurs, both in the playground and in the classroom, but is always dealt with quickly and is never allowed to impinge on learning.  Most parents are unreservedly positive about behaviour. They believe, rightly, that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at the heart of the school’s work. They comment positively about ‘the qualities of kindness, respect and the importance of looking out for others which are strongly promoted’, ‘the lovely atmosphere’ and ‘the happy children’.  Pupils say they feel very safe and secure and understand the importance of adopting safe practices, and parents agree. For example, they comment positively about the locked doors and

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

know about dangers posed by the internet.  Assemblies and class discussions reinforce the importance of working together and contribute well to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides a highly effective steer for the school’s work. She is ably supported by her new deputy, other senior leaders, all staff and governors. Morale is high and there is good team spirit. As a result, all are committed to continued improvement. The local authority also provides effective support for this ‘light touch’ school.  Priorities to help drive up standards are the right ones and there is rigour in the pursuit of them. Leaders know what the school’s strengths are and where it needs to further develop.  Issues from the last inspection have been tackled decisively and have helped to drive up standards in English.  Subject leaders regularly check on provision and standards. As a result, they are becoming increasingly accountable for standards and progress. However, they are not yet involved enough in checking on learning in lessons to enable them to have the best possible view of what works

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The leadership and management are good

well and what needs doing.  Leaders often assess the quality of teaching in lessons and place a strong emphasis on how pupils learn. Nevertheless, checks do not yet focus sharply enough on the learning of pupils of different abilities to secure outstanding teaching as rapidly as possible.  Arrangements for managing teachers’ work have clearly measureable targets so that teachers are increasingly held to account for the progress their pupils make. Professional development is given strong emphasis.  Rigorous and regular checks on test results and of pupils’ progress from an analysis of data help leaders set challenging targets for improvement and identify how well pupils are doing.  The curriculum meets the needs of pupils because it increasingly links subjects together in meaningful ways and incorporates pupils’ views on what they want to learn. English and science are high profile. Themes to develop their understanding of the diverse nature of British society

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The leadership and management are good

are securely represented and discrimination in any form is not tolerated. However, worksheets, which sometimes do not inspire pupils to learn, are sometimes overused  Parents are overwhelmingly supportive. The school has very good relationships with parents. From Reception onwards they are provided with good information about their children. There are many opportunities too for them to be involved in school life through events, such as an open afternoon which took place during the inspection in which pupils in Key Stage 1 proudly shared their work with parents and grandparents. However, a small minority hold negative views.  The governance of the school:  The governing body increasingly challenges and supports the school well, and holds the school strongly to account for standards and achievement. It clearly understands where the school’s priorities lie and what further action needs to be taken to help the school to become

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The leadership and management are good

outstanding. Statutory duties are fulfilled and financial management is secure. Governors ensure that pupil premium funding has been used to good effect. Safeguarding policies and procedures are fully understood, met and regularly reviewed.

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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 121362 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 403457

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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 205 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair M Pitts Headteacher Jill Tiffany Date of previous school inspection 28 November 2007 Telephone number 01723 870714 Fax number 01723 871288 Email address admin@lindhead.n-yorks.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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