The St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, Great Gonerby

The St Sebastian's Church of England Primary School, Great Gonerby High Street, Great Gonerby, Grantham, NG31 8LB

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils of all abilities make good progress and achieve well in English and mathematics.  Teaching is consistently good and some is outstanding.  Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They work hard in lessons, are keen to learn and feel very safe.  Teaching is outstanding in the Reception class, which ensures that children make good progress in their first year in school.  Reading skills develop rapidly because the teaching of letters and the sounds that they make (phonics) is good.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well because of the effective and specialist support they receive.  Pupils have lots of opportunities to work on interesting problems and discuss their learning with each other. This makes a significant contribution to their confidence and achievement.  The headteacher is very ambitious for the school and has high expectations of staff and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

pupils. Her determined leadership has been key to the recent improvements seen in teaching and learning.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding. Pupils are not always able to work at their fastest rate in lessons and the marking of pupils’ work is not always clear enough to help them to improve.  The outdoor area in Reception is not designed effectively to enable staff to provide permanent high quality activities for children.  Subject leaders do not observe teaching in their subjects sufficiently or ensure outstanding practice is shared across the school. 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector saw all teachers teach in the nine lessons observed, two of which were seen together with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector made a number of other short visits to lessons and learning areas.  Separate meetings were conducted with governors, staff, senior leaders, an adviser from the local authority and a group of pupils. The inspector talked to pupils during lessons, listened to pupils read and attended a whole-school assembly.  The 23 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the results of the school’s own survey of parents’ views were taken into account.  The inspector took account of the 16 responses to the staff questionnaire.  A number of documents were reviewed. These included pupils’ books, the school’s development plan, its self-evaluation report, information about pupils’ current progress, arrangements for safeguarding and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. Reports from the local authority

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Information about this inspection

about the school’s effectiveness were also examined.

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Inspection team

Cathy Morgan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 This is a very small primary school, with four mixed-age classes.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  A higher than average proportions of pupils are supported through school action, school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is lower than that seen nationally. This additional government funding only applies in this school to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those from families with a parent in the armed forces.  Fewer than 11 pupils took the national tests in 2012 and numbers are too few for the school’s results to be meaningfully compared with the government’s floor targets, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The school provides a daily breakfast club for pupils.  The headteacher was appointed in April 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and raise pupils’ achievement further by:  making sure that teachers do not talk for too long and that pupils are given ample opportunity to make the progress they are capable of in lessons  improving the quality and effectiveness of teachers’ marking by ensuring all teachers give pupils clear guidance on how to improve and provide time in lessons for them to act on it

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management to outstanding by:  ensuring subject leaders monitor the quality of teaching more closely and enable any outstanding practice to be shared across the school. 4 of 10

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment on entry varies from year to year because of the small numbers in each year group. Over time, children generally start school with skills which are below those expected for their age, particularly their personal, social and emotional skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Careful nurturing in the Early Years Foundation Stage, combined with good and some outstanding teaching, ensures that children make good progress in preparation for Key Stage 1. The effective teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) ensures that children quickly improve their skills in reading and writing. Year 1 pupils, for example, are now on track to exceed the expected level in the forthcoming national reading test.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Across Key Stage 1, pupils make good progress and in 2012, their attainment in reading and mathematics was above that seen nationally. Effective intervention and interesting topics such as ‘Dinosaur Island’ are helping pupils, particularly boys, to quickly improve their writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 declined at level 4 in 2012, comparison with national averages is unreliable as there were only eight pupils in this year group. Three pupils joined the school during Key Stage 2 and although they received effective support for their special educational needs to enable them to make progress, there was insufficient time available for them to catch up completely. Prior to 2012, pupils’ attainment was above average in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The inspector’s scrutiny of pupils’ work and analysis of data in the school’s informative monitoring system show that almost all pupils, including those who joined the school during Key Stage 2, are working at or above the level expected for their age in English and mathematics. A significant proportion of pupils are on target to reach the highest standards, which are usually seen when pupils are in secondary education.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress and achieve well because of the effective support from a dedicated team of teaching assistants. More able pupils benefit greatly from the specialist teaching they receive in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupil premium funding is used very effectively to provide one to one and small group tuition for eligible pupils and specialist support from teaching assistants. As a result, pupils supported through pupil premium funding made better progress than their peers and similar pupils nationally in English in 2012. They are working at similar levels to other pupils in the school in both English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Much has been done to raise the profile of reading and pupils make good progress throughout the school. Older pupils read with expression and interest and talk with great enthusiasm about how they enjoy reading fiction and non-fiction books.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All teaching is good and some is outstanding. Teachers are adept at teaching in mixed-age classes and they work hard to ensure activities are well matched to pupils’ needs. However, there is not enough outstanding teaching overall to ensure that pupils make the best possible 5 of 10

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in Reception is outstanding. Children are encouraged to think for themselves, develop problem solving skills and make good progress. Teachers have devised high quality learning journals to record children’s good achievements and showcase the exciting things they do. The limitations in the design of the outside area are preventing staff from creating permanent activities to enable children to make even more rapid progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships between staff and pupils are strong and greatly benefit pupils’ learning. Opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas with one another are a positive feature of all lessons, and pupils are highly respectful of one another’s ideas. This successfully promotes teamwork and contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers take great care to ensure that activities inspire pupils. Consequently, pupils enjoy solving more difficult problems, particularly in mathematics, and respond well to challenge in all subjects. For example, in one lesson, pupils in Years 3 and 4 quickly developed their understanding of the properties of a range of interesting objects. They worked productively together to investigate and sort them into categories, accurately recording their findings using scientific terms such as ‘rigid’ and ‘edible’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are confident when working independently and they make good progress on these occasions. However, at times, teachers speak to the whole class for lengthy periods, which interrupts the learning of pupils who have already grasped the point, as well as those being supported by teaching assistants. At such times, some pupils do not always make the progress they are capable of.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although pupils’ work is marked regularly, there is variation in the quality of feedback given to pupils. Marking is exemplary in Year 6, where pupils are clear about their short and long-term targets, and have plentiful opportunities to self and peer assess. In other classes, teachers discuss pupils’ work with them but written feedback in pupils’ books is less informative. This prevents pupils from always knowing their targets and how to improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school provides a calm and purposeful atmosphere for learning. The mutual respect between pupils and adults ensures that the skills of individual pupils are valued, their talents nurtured and their confidence developed. Pupils who attend the breakfast club, benefit from good opportunities to play together and to start the day well with a healthy meal.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Children’s behaviour in the Early Years Foundation Stage is very well managed by staff. Children cooperate very well together and this continues throughout the school. Pupils enjoy school and have excellent attitudes to learning; consequently their attendance is above average. One pupil said, “There’s always lots of laughter at St Sebastian’s”.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say they feel safe and secure in school. They are taught carefully about different types of bullying, and say there is none because adults help to settle any minor incidents quickly. The school’s behaviour records show that serious incidents are very rare. Parents agree that their children are well looked after and behave well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are happy, exceptionally polite and very caring towards one another. They enjoy singing 6 of 10

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

and praying together, and they say they love the weekly celebrations of their achievements. Pupils have lots of opportunities to take on responsibility and use their own initiative. In one good example, a group of boys who are particularly talented in mathematics, organised their own lunchtime support sessions to help younger children to develop their numeracy skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since her appointment the headteacher has demonstrated passion and ambition and a determination to improve the quality of teaching, learning and the achievement of all pupils. Her inspirational and caring leadership is highly effective and is acknowledged and welcomed by the Governing Body, school staff and parents.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Together they have created a realistic plan for improvement, which takes into account the needs and limitations of a small school.

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The leadership and management are good

 All staff clearly understand their roles, responsibilities and lines of accountability, and they work effectively as a cohesive team. Teachers are actively involved in, and held to account for, bringing about improvement through the appraisal system, and they willingly undertake appropriate training and take on a large range of subject responsibilities.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers regularly check the progress that pupils are making in order to identify any under- achievement and to ensure that pupils from every background have an equal opportunity to succeed. However, subject leaders do not always have sufficient time to review the quality of teaching and assessment effectively, which prevents them from sharing any outstanding aspects across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The wide variety of interesting subjects, activities, clubs, visits and cultural experiences offered by the school are combined well to ensure that pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority supports the school well. This has strengthened the headteacher’s expertise and provided valuable opportunities for staff to work closely with other schools. Together with the headteacher, staff and the governing body, this ensures that the school has an excellent capacity to improve further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works exceptionally hard to maintain productive relationships with parents. The weekly newsletter and a variety of other methods, including the informative website, enables parents to play an active part in their children’s learning. The school works closely with a wide range of outside agencies to ensure pupils’ personal and learning needs are met. 7 of 10

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The Governing Body knows the school well and ensures that the school leadership is appropriately challenged and, where necessary, held to account for its standards. Governors undertake training for their roles and are involved in the appraisal arrangements for staff and decisions regarding pay progression. They know where teaching is strong and what is being done to improve it. Finances are tightly controlled and decisions on spending are linked closely to priorities in the school improvement plan. Governors are fully aware of the use of pupil premium funding and check carefully the effect on these pupils’ progress. They report extensively on their visits to the school and undertake a range of activities to keep abreast of teaching quality, including looking at pupils’ books and visiting lessons. Governors ensure that all safeguarding procedures are robust. 8 of 10

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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. 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 120601 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 412126

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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 Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 112 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anne Schaanning Headteacher Mrs Linda Baldwin Date of previous school inspection 2 March 2010 Telephone number 01476 565896 Fax number 01476 565896 Email address Linda.baldwin@st-sebastians.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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