Flookburgh CofE Primary School

Flookburgh CofE Primary School Winder Lane, Flookburgh, Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria, LA11 7LE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 The quality of teaching requires improvement. In recent years teaching has not been good enough to enable pupils to achieve consistently well between Year 1 and Year 6.  Teachers sometimes accept work that is not of good enough quality or quantity.  Pupils are aware that they have targets for English and mathematics but do not always know what they are. There are too few opportunities for pupils to practise writing and mathematics skills in other subjects.  Activities are not always at the correct level to help pupils learn whatever their ability.  Pupils are not always encouraged to, or motivated enough, to persist with tasks and work things out for themselves.  Teachers’ marking does not always provide good guidance to pupils on how to improve work. Pupils are also not consistently given time to respond to teachers’ comments.  The system for collecting pupils’ progress information does not identify the progress

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

made by specific groups of pupils in school.  School leaders’ actions to improve teaching have not been fully successful in making sure that all teaching is good or better and that all pupils make consistently good progress.  The ability of the governing body to challenge the performance of the school is limited because they rely too heavily on overly optimistic reports from the headteacher.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage get off to a good start because of consistently good teaching.  Recently introduced teaching methods are helping to accelerate pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The quality of teaching is improving and there are examples of good teaching across the school.  Pupils feel safe in school and behave well. Older pupils enjoy the roles and responsibilities they are given.  The curriculum includes a range of additional activities which add variety and enjoyment to pupils’ learning.  School leaders, including governors, are aware that attainment and achievement require improvement. They have put actions in place that have moved the school forward and improved standards this year.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed seven lessons, one of which was a joint observation with the headteacher. The inspector also listened to pupils reading.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and school staff.  The inspector took account of 28 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 10 staff questionnaires. Responses to parental questionnaires distributed by the school were also considered.  The inspector looked at a range of documents, including: the school’s analysis of how well it is doing; the school development plan; information about pupils’ progress; checks on the quality of teaching; minutes of governing body meetings; and records relating to attendance and safeguarding. The inspector also examined work in pupils’ books.

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Inspection team

Louise Murphy, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Flookburgh School is smaller than most primary schools.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well below average. (The pupil premium is additional funding provided for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from services families and those children that are looked after).  Most pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is well above average.  The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  There have been a number of changes to teaching staff since the last inspection.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which is the minimum expected for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and learning, especially in Years 1 to 6, in order to raise standards by making sure that:  all teachers’ expectations are high in the quality and quantity of work pupils should be expected to produce  pupils are always given activities that are at the correct level to help all pupils to learn consistently well  pupils know what their targets are and are supported to develop and persistently use their skills in working things out for themselves  feedback from teachers’ marking is always clear so pupils know what they have done well and what they need to do next to improve  pupils are given regular opportunities to respond to teachers’ comments, check and improve their work  more opportunities are provided to practise mathematics and writing skills in other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  making sure that school leaders, including the governing body, have an accurate view of how well the school is doing  developing more accurate systems for checking on the progress of groups of pupils so that information is readily available, analysed and quickly acted upon to accelerate progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Since the last inspection, the performance of pupils in the end of key stage national tests has been in decline. Pupils’ assessment indicate that progress is inconsistent between Year 1 and Year 6. Work in pupils’ books shows that there are too few opportunities to practise writing and mathematics skills in other subjects. The quality and quantity of work that pupils are expected to produce is not always of a high enough standard and, as a result, achievement requires improvement.  In the 2012 national assessments, attainment at the end of Year 2 was below average in reading and mathematics and significantly below in writing. Attainment at the end of Year 6 was below average in English and significantly below average in mathematics. This represented expected progress for most pupils in reading and writing, although too few pupils made more than this. The progress made by pupils in mathematics was well below national standards.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Observations of teaching and work in books shows that the majority of pupils are now making at least expected progress including in mathematics. As a result, unconfirmed results from the 2013 national tests indicate that pupils currently in Year 6 will improve upon recent standards of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils start Nursery class with skills and knowledge below those typically expected for their age and with some children’s attainment well below. However, they make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and now enter Year 1 at broadly average levels, though this does vary with individual groups.  Attainment in reading at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2012 was below average in national tests. The school has introduced a range of new methods of teaching reading and, as a result, pupils’ progress is accelerating in most year groups. Year 2 pupils, who read to the inspector,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

confidently used their phonics skills in matching letters and sounds to read new words and demonstrated good progress since last year. Older pupils were proud of the books that they had helped buy for the school library which demonstrates their enthusiasm for reading.  The 2012 end of Key Stage 2 national tests showed that pupils eligible for free school meals attained standards above similar pupils nationally in English although below in mathematics. These pupils were one term ahead of their classmates in English and at a similar level in mathematics. They made better progress from their starting points than other pupils in their class. The same is true overall for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs which confirms the school’s commitment to providing pupils with equality of opportunity.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is improving and some good teaching was seen during the inspection. However, teaching requires improvement because it does not yet result in good and sustained pupil progress across the school.  Pupils are not always supported to make as much progress as possible because they are not always sure of their individual targets and what they are expected to achieve. In some classes, pupils work on very similar activities and for some, the task is too difficult while for others, it is too easy.  Marking sometimes provides a good level of guidance to pupils, praising them on what they have done well and offering advice on how to improve their work. However, marking does not always provide good enough guidance and teachers' comments are not consistently followed up because pupils are not always given time to correct and edit their work.  In good lessons, teachers encourage pupils to discuss their ideas and reflect on how they can

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

improve their work. For example, in a Year 5 class, pupils worked in small groups to develop a list of questions regarding the opening of Tutankhamen’s tomb. The teacher set the task and stepped in only when it was necessary to help pupils improve their work. This supported the class to persist in getting on and working things out for themselves. In other classes, pupils are left to get on and sometimes sit back and do very little because they do not have the motivation or the skills to work effectively on their own or in small groups.  The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics is improving. For example, reading is now regularly taught to small groups of older pupils with an emphasis on developing understanding and practising matching letters and sounds when necessary. Additional small group sessions have been taught during the year by teachers and teaching assistants to help boost literacy and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

numeracy skills.  The quality of teaching is consistently good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and children are extremely keen to learn. Due to careful assessment and the good planning of activities that appeal to children’s interests, they make particularly good progress in literacy, numbers and their understanding of the world around them.  Teaching assistants work well with class teachers, small groups of pupils and individuals. They know pupils well and contribute toward their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Most pupils are polite and courteous but there are some pupils who are rather shy and lack the confidence to speak to visitors. There are a few pupils in school, whose circumstances make them vulnerable, but staff manages behaviour well and disruptions to lessons are rare.  Pupils have a good understanding of the difference between bullying and falling out. They are also aware of issues such as cyber-bullying. Pupils say they feel safe at school. They are confident that there is no real bullying and say if there was, it would be dealt with by adults who care for them.  The school provides good opportunities to develop pupils’ sense of responsibility. Pupils are keen to contribute to the school community. For example, they have been involved in staff appointments and school councillors have arranged a ‘readathon’ to raise money for charity and school resources. Older pupils enjoy reading with their younger friends and feel proud that they

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

are trusted with this role.  Most parents are positive about how behaviour is managed and feel that their children are well cared for at the school. A good level of support is provided for pupils who have behavioural and emotional difficulties. For example, the nurture group helps pupils to understand themselves and get on with others. School documents show that any challenging behaviours are managed well.  Pupils say that the best thing about their school is that, ‘There is a lot to do and people get along.’ They particularly enjoy the range of educational visits offered by the school and the weekly after-school activities. The school works hard to promote attendance and the average attendance rate shows that most pupils attend regularly.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leadership is beginning to secure improvements in the quality of teaching and learning; this has put the school in a stronger position to move forward. However, changes have not been in place for long enough to demonstrate sustained improvements in pupils’ achievement.  The school’s views about how well it is doing are not fully accurate. In checking its performance, the school has been overgenerous. For example, the school judges overall effectiveness and the quality of teaching and leadership and management to be good, while the inspector found that they require improvement.  A copious amount of data is available to enable checks on pupils’ progress. However, it does not yet readily identify the performance of specific pupil groups. Therefore, school leaders are unable to give an up-to-date response on how well groups of pupils are doing. This makes it difficult to assess the impact of school leaders’ actions and to intervene quickly in order to

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The leadership and management requires improvement

further accelerate progress.  A number of new teaching staff are in post and together with the school’s leadership team and established members of staff are determined to make further improvements. Staff enthusiastically visit higher performing schools and are engaging in training programmes which support them to address school priorities and personal development requirements.  The quality of teaching and the performance of staff is checked regularly and school leaders, including governors, recognise that progression through the teacher pay scales must be linked to pupils’ progress.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. However, it requires improvement because it does not develop literacy and numeracy skills well enough to make sure that pupils make consistently good progress.  The local authority is providing an enhanced level of support to the school. This support is

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The leadership and management requires improvement

particularly effective in driving improvements in leadership and the quality of teaching. It is also highly valued by staff.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is highly supportive of the school. They hold the school to account but rely too much on the headteacher’s overly positive information about the quality of teaching and data relating to pupils’ progress. However, governors are committed to making sure that teachers’ progression through the pay scales is linked to how effective teaching is; they reward good teaching and take action to tackle any underperformance. Governors attend training and new governors are keen to develop their skills. They have a good understanding of the school’s finances and ensure that all safeguarding procedures meet requirements. Governors recognise that pupil premium funding must be used to benefit eligible pupils and have agreed to fund interventions to support these 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 112410 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 411740

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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 Foundation Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 95 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Julia Brown Headteacher Chris Brooksbank Date of previous school inspection 8 July 2010 Telephone number 01539 558434 Fax number 01539 559071 Email address admin@flookburgh.cumbria.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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