Lanchester Endowed Parochial Primary School

Lanchester Endowed Parochial Primary School Front Street, Lanchester, Durham, DH7 0HU

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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 make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.  Disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those supported by the pupil premium make good progress in line with other children in the school as a result of targeted support.  The teaching across the school is good overall with some that is outstanding.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very strong throughout the school.  Pupils have very positive attitudes towards the school and their learning. Pupils behave well and feel safe.  The curriculum is well-matched to the needs of the pupils and enhanced by the use of opportunities to learn outside of the school.  Leaders and managers monitor teaching and pupils’ progress closely and take action when a concern is identified. This has a positive impact on achievement and the quality of teaching.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders, managers and governors have high ambitions for the school. They know what the next steps are and ensure that the school is improving.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not consistently good and not enough is outstanding. A small amount still requires improvement especially when work is not set at the correct level.  Marking and assessment does not always inform pupils how to improve especially in mathematics.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to use mental methods of calculation in mathematics.  Teachers do not always provide enough opportunities for pupils to extend their answers or evaluate their own work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 15 lessons or parts of lessons, including two that were joint observations with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors heard pupils read in Years 1, 2 and 6.  Discussions were held with pupils, staff, governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors analysed work in pupils’ books.  Progress data, safeguarding information and other school documentation was reviewed.  The inspectors considered the responses from the on line questionnaire (Parent View) as well as the responses to the school’s own parental questionnaire. One letter from a parent was also considered.  Twenty-five responses to the staff questionnaire were taken into account.

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Inspection team

Mark Lovell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Keith Bardon Additional Inspector John Pattinson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after by the local authority).  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and for whom English is an additional language is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and are supported at school action is below average. The proportion of those supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the levels of attainment of all pupils by further improving the quality of teaching by ensuring that it is consistently good, with more that is outstanding, by:  ensuring that pupils have enough opportunities to respond to teachers’ questions and to evaluate their own and others’ work  ensuring that work is set at the right level for all abilities throughout the lesson  encouraging pupils to use mental methods of calculation in mathematics lessons  extending the good practice of marking in writing to mathematics to provides pupils with clear instructions on how to improve.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enter the Nursery with skills and abilities that are slightly below what is typical for children of the same age. From pupils’ individual starting points they make good progress across all areas of learning throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage and by the time they leave Reception most children have skills and abilities that are typical for children of the same age.  Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1. The school’s own data shows that in 2013 pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics was slightly above the national average.  Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 2. By the end of Year 6, attainment is above average. The most-able pupils are performing well. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics has risen since the previous inspection and is now above average.  There has been a good improvement in the standard of writing since the previous inspection.

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The achievement of pupils is good

Improved teaching and guidance for pupils have led to this success. A good example of this was in a Year 4 when pupils produced well-structured persuasive writing following a short walk in the local area looking at advertising. Excellent teaching insisted on accuracy in spelling and punctuation.  The systematic teaching of letters and sounds in Key Stage 1 has been effective and the screening check at the end of Year 1 shows that pupils achieve above the national average. Pupils who read to inspectors demonstrated effective use of their skills to work out difficult unfamiliar words. Pupils read widely and are enthusiastic readers. Older pupils showed a good level of comprehension of the books they read.  Mathematics attainment has improved but pupils lack confidence when using mental calculation methods to solve problems.  The learning seen during the inspection and the work seen in the pupils’ workbooks shows that

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The achievement of pupils is good

the progress made by all groups is good. However, in a few lessons tasks are not consistently challenging for all abilities and this slows progress.  Pupils supported by the pupil premium make good progress. The additional funding is spent effectively, providing additional support for this group. These pupils make progress similar to that of other pupils in the school. In reading, writing and mathematics the attainment of the pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is in line with that of other pupils.  Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those from minority ethnic groups make good progress. These pupils are making progress similar to that of other pupils in the school and in some cases better progress, as a result of the school’s targeted support.  The school promotes equality of opportunity very well as shown by the achievement of all groups who perform equally well at the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The overall quality of teaching is good and occasionally outstanding. This good teaching across the school leads to the good progress made by all pupils.  Teachers expect pupils to work hard. Relationships in the classrooms are good and promote a very positive climate for learning.  A good range of teaching strategies is used throughout the school. Teaching activities encourage the participation of the pupils by capturing their interest in lessons. For instance, the pirate themed day in the Early Years Foundation Stage secured the imagination of the children who responded with great enthusiasm to the exciting learning opportunities presented to them.  In the best lessons teachers’ questioning is good. Teachers follow up pupils’ answers with another question and this challenges pupils to extend their learning. In a few lessons, this effective practice is less evident and teachers do not ensure that pupils extend their answers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have good subject knowledge. This is evident in the improved teaching of reading and writing. Mathematics is also taught well, although in a few lessons teachers do not insist that pupils use their mental skills but opt instead to use the easier written calculation methods.  The basic skills of literacy and numeracy are extended successfully across cross the curriculum. For example, a piece of persuasive writing in a humanities lesson developed literacy skills as well as the historical understanding of the pupils.  The assessment and marking of writing is particularly effective in informing pupils how to improve their work. Marking and assessment in mathematics is not as effective as it is in writing.  In the best lessons pupils have the opportunity to assess their own work and that of their peers. This allows them to further develop and improve their work in all subjects. This practice is not

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The quality of teaching is good

yet evident in all lessons.  Pupils’ work is generally matched correctly to their individual needs. However, when the class is taught as a whole there are times when work is too easy for some and not hard enough for others and this slows progress during this part of the lesson.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils behave exceptionally well. This is a result of the school’s commitment to pupils’ personal development, well-being, and the care it provides for all pupils. One parent commented, ‘We’re sure you will notice how welcoming and caring the school is. This is how the school feels every single day.’  The pupils show very positive attitudes to everything in their school and are very enthusiastic learners. They understand how good or better behaviour makes their time at school more enjoyable.  The responses to the on-line survey (Parent View) and the school’s own parental questionnaire shows that parents are very positive about the behaviour of the children.  High standards of behaviour were seen both in and out of the classrooms. The pupils are very polite and are proud of their school. Holding open doors for others and the use of greetings such as ‘good morning’ was normal for pupils of all ages.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The pupils stated they had no concerns about bullying and that they had confidence in the school staff dealing with any that may happen. The pupils have a very good understanding of different types of bullying.  The pupils feel completely safe at school. They have been taught and know how to stay safe in different situations.  Attendance is improving in response to school actions and is rising to slightly above average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is led and managed very well by the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Leaders work together well, having a clear understanding of the school’s achievements and areas for improvement. Staff appreciate the support and challenge provided and the school is well-placed to improve further.  Thorough analysis of data identifies school priorities and ensures that self-evaluation is accurate. Actions are swift and clear in the school’s improvement planning. Checks on the impact of change are effective in ensuring that improvements are sustained.  Teaching is monitored closely and support provided where needed. As a result, teaching has improved, although a few aspects to ensure that all teaching is consistently good and better still need to be tackled. Teachers are set targets based on their performance and decisions about pay progression are linked to achievement of these targets.  Training links closely to identified need. Support provided in literacy is good and has resulted in

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The leadership and management are good

the improvement of writing since the previous inspection.  The curriculum provides a stimulating range of experiences which promotes good learning and sporting excellence. Staff ensure that pupils experience learning both in and outside the classroom. International links, many outings, residential visits including taking the children abroad, regular creativity weeks and use of the local environment are used well to broaden the curriculum.  Curriculum teams include staff from each key stage. These teams monitor work, are involved in peer observations and provide development training for the school. The senior leaders support and challenge these teams and as a result the curriculum has developed to match the needs of the pupils closely, resulting in higher levels of achievement.  The school has carefully planned the use of the primary sport funding. More pupils access a wider variety of after-school activities. Additional sports clubs, for example, gymnastics and a Hi-

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The leadership and management are good

Five Club have been provided. Swimming lessons are now provided for younger pupils encouraging the early acquisition of swimming skills. To ensure longer-term success sports coaches are being used to train the teaching staff.  The local authority provides effective support, offering training as needed.  The governance of the school: - The governing body works as a strong team and meets regularly. Governors have played a full role in recent appointments that have strengthened the teaching team. They understand and analyse pupil performance data and have an accurate understanding of pupil achievement. This enables them to challenge robustly the leadership team to improve the school further. Financial management is effective with governors challenging decisions so that available resources are used efficiently. A good example of this is the funding used to provide additional staffing for support group teaching in the school. The governors have ensured that the pupil

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The leadership and management are good

premium funding has been used effectively to ensure that the group of children who attract this additional funding are making good progress. Governors regularly look at the progress being made by this group. Governors also check that safeguarding meets requirements.

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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 131168 Local authority Durham Inspection number 425955

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 338 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michael Knowles Headteacher Jane Davis Date of previous school inspection 1 October 2008 Telephone number 01207 520436

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Fax number

Email address lanchesterep@durhamlearning.net 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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Fax number

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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Fax number

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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Fax number

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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Fax number

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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Fax number

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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