Lilleshall Primary School

Lilleshall Primary School Limekiln Lane, Lilleshall, Newport, TF10 9EY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Lilleshall is a happy school. Parents are very happy with the outstanding education it provides. Staff are happy in their work and pupils are happy to learn.  Pupils make rapid progress and leave Year 6 with very high standards.  Teaching is at least good, and the majority is outstanding.  Teachers use the information gained from assessments of pupils’ progress and standards to set work that is perfectly matched to their abilities.  Teaching assistants are used exceptionally well to ensure all pupils can make the same outstanding progress.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary, both in and out of lessons.  Pupils feel very safe in school. Instances of poor behaviour are almost unknown.  The school’s leaders, including governors, have a deep knowledge of each teacher’s strengths and areas for improvement because of the extensive checks on teaching that they carry out.  Leaders’ innovative approach to training has

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

led to rapid improvements in teaching and achievement.  The school ethos is one where all staff and governors are committed to seeking continuous improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons, including three that were jointly observed with the school’s leaders. In addition, they listened to pupils reading and analysed the work in their books.  Meetings were held with pupils, members of the governing body, staff and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 24 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also met parents informally and analysed the results of the school’s own questionnaire for parents.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including: the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, records relating to behaviour and bullying, and documents relating to safeguarding.  The school was evacuated for part of the second day of the inspection when the fire alarm went off.

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Inspection team

David Driscoll, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Gwendoline Onyon Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is similar in size to most other primary schools.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is low. The proportion supported through school action plus or a statement of special educational needs is average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, additional funding for looked-after pupils, those known to be eligible for free school meals or those with a parent in the armed forces, is below the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher was appointed in 2011. She is a Local Leader of Education and provides support for another school.  The school shares its site with a private nursery, which is subject to a separate inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Use the existing methods of coaching teachers to raise the quality of the teaching that is good to outstanding.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children join Reception with knowledge and skills that are typical for their age. They make outstanding progress, so standards are well-above average by the time they start Year 1. Rapid progress continues in all years and pupils leave Year 6 with very high standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Across the school there are examples of pupils reaching exceptionally high standards for their age. Some children start Year 1 having reached the standards expected by the end of Year 2, for example. By the end of Year 2 almost every pupil is a fluent reader. The relatively weaker performance of pupils in Year 2 in 2012 in mathematics has been tackled and current standards are as high as those in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 By Year 6, pupils are, on average, a whole year ahead of other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Around one-in-three pupils are on track to reach Level 6 in mathematics; a standard ten times higher than the national average in 2012.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils present their work beautifully. They read widely and often, both in and out of school. Pupils have a wide and diverse vocabulary for their ages. For example, children in Reception know what ‘persevering’ and ‘being independent’ mean and use the terms when referring to their tasks. They confidently solve complex mathematical problems, laying out their calculations systematically and logically.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 All groups of pupils make the same outstanding progress. It is very rare for pupils to fall behind in their work, so teachers are able to concentrate on accelerating the progress of those who are simply doing as well as expected. In this way, the school is highly successful in promoting equality of achievement for all. There were not enough pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium in Year 6 in 2012 to comment on their attainment.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive exceptionally high-quality support. Their needs are identified very early in Reception. This allows teachers to draw up plans and provide them with work that is perfectly matched to their individual needs.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Those pupils who have special educational needs and are supported at school action are soon removed from the special educational needs register because they no longer require extra support to learn. Those with more severe needs receive all the external support they require to thrive.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 There is a high degree of consistency to the quality of teaching that pupils receive, including in literacy and mathematics. All of the teaching observed was at least good, and the majority was outstanding.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Lessons are exceptionally well organised to maximise the time available. There are always tasks ready for pupils when they arrive or come back from break. Teaching assistants know exactly what their role is and start supporting pupils as soon as they come in. They are highly skilled in probing pupils’ understanding and making them work out for themselves what they need to do next.  One of the key strengths in the teaching is the way that teachers plan different tasks for individuals or small groups of pupils. They analyse test results and use information from marking to decide exactly what each pupil needs to do next and then draw up a task for them. In Year 6, for example, every pupil in the class had different mathematics work set, because they were all at slightly different points in their learning.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 In Reception, children are cleverly guided to learn through their play. Children choosing to dress up for a ball, for example, were encouraged to plan the whole event and were quickly writing invitations and choosing music from the computer.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers expect their pupils to concentrate, work hard and do well. In a Year 2 reading lesson, for example, pupils were given demanding texts. One group read independently in a separate area away from the teacher. They concentrated for the whole lesson, all quietly applying their knowledge of letters and sounds to read unfamiliar words, like ‘livelihoods’.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers’ marking is exemplary. Books are marked frequently and in great detail. Pupils are given extra questions to make them think further about their work. All are given individual targets, and all know what they need to do to improve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have outstanding attitudes to learning. They are independent and highly motivated from a young age. Pupils are self-confident and very much enjoy tackling difficult problems.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour in and out of the classroom is exemplary. There have been no exclusions for at least three years and incidents of poor behaviour are exceptionally rare. This year, for example, there has been one incident, when a pupil swore.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Provision for pupils’ moral and social development is outstanding and its effect is evident in their excellent relationships with staff and each other. Bullying is unknown, and the only upsets relate to very minor incidents. Nevertheless, these are recorded in great detail, which is indicative of the seriousness with which they are treated. Pupils speak very highly of the staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils show great respect towards visitors and other adults and have perfect manners. They are very proud of their school and their work and keen to tell visitors about them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils feel totally safe at school. They contribute well to their own safety. For example, all was exceptionally calm and well organised when the school was evacuated. The evacuation was completed within 90 seconds.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils enjoyment of school is clear in their excellent punctuality and high attendance, which is consistently in the top 20% of schools nationally.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 High standards have been built on since the school was previously inspected. The headteacher has developed a culture where all staff constantly strive for improvement. Pupils and parents are highly pleased with the education provided and praise the way the school has improved.  Staff want to be observed teaching so they can find out how to improve even further. They frequently invite the senior leaders into lessons to check for areas that can be improved, knowing they will receive the support they need. This approach means leaders see far more lessons than in most other schools, so get a far more detailed picture of the strengths and areas for improvement of individual teachers.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The results are used alongside the accurate analyses of data on pupils’ progress and attainment to set challenging targets for teachers, who almost always rise to the challenge. The targets are linked to whole-school improvement priorities, so all staff know what part they have to play in making the school successful. Those who meet their targets are moved up the pay scale, while those who do not are held back.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The deputy headteacher and other senior leader have half a day weekly or fortnightly to spend coaching staff on areas identified for improvement – an approach that has proved highly successful in raising the quality of teaching from good to outstanding in the majority of cases. This approach is now being targeted at the remaining teaching that is good to raise it to outstanding.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The senior leadership team has used the pupil premium very flexibly to support individuals. Some have one-to-one support, while others are helped to attend more frequently. All are successful in progressing equally with other pupils.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority provided an external view of the school when the headteacher took up her post. Both she and the local authority supported staff towards improvement and devised an excellent range of courses and other training.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders have linked subjects together exceptionally well to provide excellent opportunities for pupils to use and practise their reading, writing and mathematical skills in different contexts. There is a huge range of extra clubs and activities, including cooking, sports, choirs and learning a foreign language. Pupils frequently organise their own events and are currently planning to open their own coffee-shop business.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils have plenty of opportunities to reflect in lessons. The many links that the school has with other schools, both in this country and abroad, ensure pupils have an excellent understanding of how others live and foster good relations with those from backgrounds different from their own.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a deep understanding of the various indicators used to measure the school’s performance, so are able to ask challenging questions of the headteacher. They are frequently in school and are well aware of the strengths and weaknesses in teaching. Governors ensure that the headteacher is focused on improving teaching. They understand its quality and ensure that improvements in teaching are rewarded when pupils’ progress and achievement justify those rewards. They are also fully supportive in, for example, disciplinary matters. Governors are exceptionally knowledgeable about financial matters, including how effectively the pupil premium is used. They meet all statutory requirements, including those for safeguarding.

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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 123378 Local authority Telford and Wrekin Inspection number 403525

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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 210 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Phil Hill Headteacher Christobel Cousins Date of previous school inspection 13 September 2007 Telephone number 01952 388430 Fax number 01953 388430 Email address lilleshallschool@taw.org.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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