Martham Academy and Nursery

Martham Primary and Nursery School Black Street, Martham, Great Yarmouth, NR29 4PR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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.  Martham has maintained its excellence throughout its conversion to become an academy and a number of significant staff changes.  Pupils make outstanding progress and achieve above average in reading and mathematics. Their basic skills in writing are rapidly improving. However, some opportunities are missed to provide sufficient activities for pupils to use their basic skills to write at length for different purposes and in a range of styles.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes make outstanding progress. This is because of detailed and careful planning, excellent interactions between adults and children, positive support from many parents and carers, and good resources.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Their very positive attitudes to learning have a positive impact on their progress. Pupils talk happily about how much they enjoy school. They demonstrate pride in their work and feel safe

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

in school.  The school has been excellently led by the headteacher through the recent change of status. He has, with the support of all staff, continued to build on past strengths to improve the school further. This has ensured that it has not stood still since the previous inspection of the predecessor school.  The governors provide very knowledgeable leadership and hold the school to account for its performance. They are very aware of the school’s strengths, and have a firm grasp on how well teachers and other staff are performing.  The leadership of reading, writing, mathematics, and the support for children in the Nursery and Reception, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and those entitled to the pupil premium, is very effective.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 23 lessons and parts of lessons. Some of these were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings and discussions took place with the headteacher, governors, parents and carers, pupils and staff.  Samples of pupils’ work were considered. A sample of pupils read to the inspectors.  The inspectors analysed and took account of the 35 responses to the online survey (Parent View) and of the responses to the school’s own survey of parents’ and carers’ views.  The inspectors looked at key inspection documents, including performance data on pupils’ progress and attainment produced by the school, procedures for safeguarding, self-evaluation work, reports to the governing body and the school improvement plan.

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Inspection team

Geof Timms, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Angela Podmore Additional Inspector Piers Ranger Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Martham Primary and Nursery School is larger than the average primary school. It converted to become an academy school in December 2010. When its predecessor school, Martham Foundation Primary and Nursery School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding.  The school shares the site with a children’s centre, which is inspected and reported upon separately.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also broadly average.  An average proportion of the pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which in this school provides additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.  Since the last inspection there have been significant changes to the staffing including the appointment of an assistant headteacher and administrative staff.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in writing by giving pupils more opportunities to write at length and practise their basic skills in a wide range of styles and genres.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children start in the Nursery with knowledge, skills and understanding often below those expected for their age. Their personal and social, communication and physical skills are often well below those expected. They make outstanding progress during their time in the Nursery and Reception classes and, by the time they enter Year 1, many are working at or above the levels expected.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils in Years 1 and 2 currently make excellent progress in reading and mathematics. Pupils’ skills in linking letters and sounds have improved since the start of the school year as a result of training for staff, improved resources and the more effective grouping of pupils by ability. This has helped them make up for their slower progress last year and exceed the expected levels. The involvement of parents and carers in events such as a ‘reading café’ are effective in supporting pupils’ rising standards by encouraging their reading at home. Throughout the school, pupils read confidently and widely, and enjoy talking about their favourite books. Pupils’ basic writing skills are above average as they have been a recent focus for improvement. Standards at the end of Year 2 have risen steadily since September 2011 and are above those expected in all three subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 In Years 3 to 6, pupils make outstanding progress. The current Year 6 pupils are on track to reach well-above average standards at the end of the year in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards in writing are still not quite as high as those in reading and mathematics; the school has addressed the lower standards and slower progress in writing evident in last year’s Key Stage 2 results through more focused teaching of key skills in writing. Even so, opportunities are sometimes missed for pupils to use their improving skills to produce longer pieces of writing in different styles and for different purposes.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The progress made by boys and girls in English has been successfully boosted by the teaching of literacy in single gender groups. The school’s data shows improved progress for the boys. Observations of lessons show their active involvement in literacy lessons and improved attitudes towards reading. This has reduced the previous existing gap between boys’ and girls’ attainment.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 High quality work was evident in almost all lessons observed, in pupils’ books and in some other subjects as well as English and mathematics. Some excellent art and design work highlighted examples of imaginative teaching and high quality skills. For example, Year 6 pupils mixed the styles of Monet and Bridget Riley to produce some outstanding pictures of water lilies. Homework plays an important part in pupils’ achievement, as seen in some excellent model Viking long ships made at home. Pupils’ singing is of very high quality, especially that of the choral group; achievement in sport through a wide range of activities and teams is substantial.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported and make excellent progress in developing basic literacy and numeracy skills, and are very well prepared for the next stage in their education. This is often the result of some careful planning and high quality intervention groups offering small group or one-to-one tuition.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium all make excellent progress. Those pupils currently in Year 6 and eligible for the pupil premium are about a term behind their peers but, nonetheless, on track to attain above average standards.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The quality of teaching is consistently of very high quality and the teachers make a very effective team. They work well together and have the best interests of pupils, and the highest possible standards, at the heart of all their work. Pupils talk confidently about how they find the work challenging and interesting. They know their targets and what they need to do to improve their work. Relationships between pupils and teachers are extremely strong, and this makes a valuable contribution to pupils typically making outstanding progress in lessons.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers often provide quite inspirational activities for pupils. For example, in an excellent lesson in Year 5, pupils were provided with imaginative activities that built well on the earlier learning to help them write fables about telling lies. This work shows how well pupils can write when they are given more imaginative activities to develop and extend their basic skills.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers are effective in encouraging pupils to work together. They provide a lot of opportunities for pupils to talk and share their learning, as well as to evaluate and assess their own and each other’s work. Teachers make good use of new technology in their planning and teaching, and make sure that lessons are rich in stimulating resources.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The youngest children have excellent opportunities to explore learning through a wide range of play and teacher-led activities. Children in Reception were given excellent opportunities to build a range of dens outside, with an excellent balance of teacher-led input and allowing the children to explore the resources. On-going assessments are made using notes and photographs, and these build into a detailed and well-recorded record of their progress in the Nursery and Reception classes. The effective links with the younger children in the children’s centre also provide Nursery children with a wider range of opportunities as staff can work with different ages and resources are shared.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching assistants often play a very effective and integral role in the excellent teaching. They make an important contribution to pupils’ learning and progress, whether supporting them on a one-to-one basis in classrooms or leading small groups who need extra support or more demanding work to do.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The marking of pupils’ work and the feedback provided by teachers are very helpful in supporting progress. The good variety of questions that teachers ask of pupils extends and consolidates their learning. Teachers have high expectations and try to ensure all activities are effective in meeting the school’s vision of ‘Growing People, Growing Minds’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils in lessons and around the school is exemplary. They are extremely polite and friendly, and show pride in their achievements and in their school. They enjoy taking responsibility and serving, for example, on the school council. Younger children enjoy sowing, planting and looking after their plants and one talked proudly about an apple tree she has planted. They are clearly becoming responsible, respectful, caring members of society.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ attitudes have an extremely positive impact on their learning. This ensures that there are no interruptions or disruption to learning. Because of this, teachers are able to provide interesting, exciting lessons. This was evident, for example, in the way Year 4 pupils were encouraged to research unknown foods using the computers. This encouraged them to take responsibility for their own learning.  Pupils say there bullying is very rare, and this is supported by the school’s records. They feel safe at school and the large majority of parents and carers who completed the on-line questionnaire agreed with this view. Pupils are aware of the different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils take part in a large amount of charity work, both locally and further afield. The school choral group has been asked to sing at weddings and to local elderly people, for example.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance is has improved recently and is broadly average with a small number of persistent absentees. The school works closely with parents and carers to encourage full attendance.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher provides the school with a strong focus on achieving high standards. This clear vision has been maintained through the change to an academy and is shared by the other senior leaders and governors.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Excellent leadership has a positive impact on pupils’ progress. This includes leadership of the key subjects of English and mathematics, and the way disabled pupils, others who have special educational needs and Reception children are catered for. Following the school’s change of status and other staffing changes, the school has developed an effective and efficient senior leadership and middle leadership structure.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher carefully monitors teachers’ performance in a way that links closely to the school’s improvement priorities, teachers’ standards and leads to focused training which is effective in improving teachers’ practice. This has happened, for example, in the teaching of phonics.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school is used in a range of ways by the local authority and by other schools as an exemplar of effective practice. The headteacher’s leadership skills have been used to support leaders in other schools. Staff from other schools have visited to observe good teaching and curriculum practice in a number of areas.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school has developed an excellent curriculum in which effective links are made between subjects to support pupils’ learning. Activities are enriched through productive visits and interesting visitors. The outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted through the way subjects are taught and a wide range of other activities, including charity work and learning about other cultures and faiths.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school takes every opportunity to promote tolerance and respect for others, and to make sure every pupil has an equal chance to succeed. The money available through the pupil premium is used very effectively to support pupils’ learning and give them the same opportunities, academically, socially and personally, as the others. The success is obvious in the excellent progress made by these pupils.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governors have led the school well through its change of status and they keep a close check on its success. They have dealt well with their extra responsibilities since becoming an academy, especially regarding finance. They are clear about the school’s place at the centre of the local community and have an excellent understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Governors are well informed through their visits to the school, meetings and reports from the headteacher and senior staff governors are able to check the success of the school’s work. The governors understand and use a wide range of information about how well the school is doing, including performance data. Their systems for checking its work are thorough and mean that governors are well aware of the school’s targets, staff’s strengths and weaknesses and the quality of teaching. They carefully control the budget, including teachers’ pay, the use

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The leadership and management are outstanding

of the pupil premium money and that relating to statements of special educational needs. The governors make sure that all statutory requirements, including those for safeguarding, are fully met.

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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 136356 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 413288

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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 Academy converter School category Foundation Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 313 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nigel Craske Headteacher Richard Denny Date of previous school inspection N/A Telephone number 01493 740071 Fax number 01493 740158 Email address office@marthamprimary.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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