Normanton-on-Soar Primary School

Normanton-on-Soar Primary School Main Street, Normanton-on-Soar, Loughborough, LE12 5HB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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 achieve well and make good progress across the school, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and those eligible for support from pupil premium funding.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 are higher than those seen nationally.  The school is a very happy secure and welcoming place for pupils to learn. They appreciate this and feel safe and well cared for by everyone in the school. They say: ‘We feel like a big happy family.’  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding across the school. They enjoy coming to school and show consistently and highly positive attitudes towards learning.  Strong leadership and management have brought about good improvements since the last inspection less than two years ago, including strengthening subject leadership and improving attendance.  The headteacher is highly committed to continuing to raise standards and to improving

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the quality of teaching and rates of progress still further.  Governance is much improved since the previous inspection. Governors have a very clear idea of how well the school is doing and where it needs to improve.  Parents are highly supportive of the school and typically commented: ‘We love it.’

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although much teaching is good and some is outstanding, there is not enough outstanding teaching across the school and some teaching still requires improvement to be consistently good.  Opportunities for pupils to apply their writing skills across the curriculum are not consistently good across the school.  Teachers’ marking does not always give clear points for improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 11 lessons or part lessons, delivered by five staff. Eight of these were made jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also paid short visits to a group of classes.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, subject leaders, representatives of the governing body and a group of pupils. The inspector also spoke to pupils informally around the school and in the playground. A telephone conversation was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector observed the work of the school and looked at a range of documents including: the schools’ own information about pupils’ progress; the monitoring of teaching and learning and teacher performance; the school development plan and safeguarding information.  The inspector looked at the work pupils were completing in lessons and in their books over time. She listened to pupils read and talked to them about their enjoyment of reading.

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Information about this inspection

 Fifteen responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were considered together with results from the school’s own recent parental survey. The inspector also spoke to parents informally when they were dropping off their children at the school.  Year 3 and 4 pupils were not in school on day two of the inspection as they were taking part in an educational visit.

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Inspection team

Joan Beale, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in four mixed-aged classes from Nursery to Year 6.  Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is below the national average, as is the proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational need.  Only a very small number of pupils are supported by the pupil premium. This is additional government funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children that are looked after by the local authority and other groups.  The school holds the Eco-Schools Green Flag award and has been designated as a Quality Lead School under the Achievement for All programme. It was also a national champion in 2013 for the Total Green School Awards.  The school has received National Lottery funding to develop a Wellness Centre which provides

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Information about this school

additional space for a range of activities, including fitness machines for pupils and computer- based fitness equipment.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement so that an even greater proportion of pupils make more than expected progress by:  ensuring that all pupils have good opportunities to write in subjects other than literacy and to sustain their writing over extended periods  improving marking so that pupils are consistently given clear points for improvement and time to act upon this advice.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning so that it is all good and more is outstanding by:  ensuring that pupils always know how to be successful in lessons and that teachers consistently communicate high expectations of what is expected of pupils, together with how long they have to work on activities  further developing teachers’ use of technology to enhance learning  providing more opportunities for teachers to observe outstanding practice in their own and other schools.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children enter school in the Nursery with skills and experiences that are typical for their age. However, this varies from year-to-year and a few children enter with skills below those expected. From their varied starting points pupils make good progress during their time in school and many reach above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2. Some pupils make outstanding progress and most able pupils reach high levels of attainment.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because they benefit from good teaching in small groups that precisely meets their learning and emotional needs. A rich environment provides an exciting and interesting range of activities that stimulate self-initiated learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards reached in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 are broadly average over time and this represents good progress for most pupils. The small cohort sizes mean that the overall performance of the cohort is influenced by one or two pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The teaching of early reading skills is good. Teachers and teaching assistants have good knowledge of phonics (letters and the sounds they make). The proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics check was well above average in both 2012 and 2013.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 2. Attainment at the end of Year 6 is above the national averages and rising over time. In the national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2013, all pupils achieved the level expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion who achieved the higher levels was well above national averages for all these subjects. The proportions of pupils making or exceeding the progress expected of them are above those found in other schools.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s internal tracking system is rigorous and robust, and shows that good progress is being made across all year groups.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school is part of the Achievement for All programme. This enables children who are at risk of underachieving for any reason, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, to receive appropriately targeted support. As a result, these children consistently make at least expected progress and some make outstanding progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The pupil premium funding is being used well to support individual pupils. The number of eligible pupils in each year group is small. Any gaps in the performance between these and other pupils in English and mathematics are quickly closed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils take a full part in the school’s physical education programme, part of which is being supported by the primary school sports funding. They have a good understanding of the importance of warming up and cooling down after sustained exercise.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Evidence from lessons observed during the inspection, pupils’ work in books and the school’s monitoring of teaching and learning show that teaching is largely good and some is outstanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The small size of the school means that teachers and teaching assistants know all pupils exceptionally well. This enables them to plan lessons that are engaging and challenging for all learners, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations for pupils’ work. In the majority of lessons seen there were also good links between mathematics and literacy and with topic work, such as The Egyptians and work on the World War Two, which generated a good level of interest.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In a Year 5 and 6 mathematics lesson, which was linked to pupils’ learning about World War Two, pupils were asked to discuss a range of information about planes and consider how best to display this using different graphs. They were encouraged to draw different graphs to see which were most appropriate. The teacher skilfully identified and addressed misconceptions, and by the end of the lesson pupils had developed a much deeper understanding of different graphs and when to use these.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Excellent relationships between teachers and pupils pervade. Pupils are attentive and respond enthusiastically to their teachers’ questions. They work extremely well in pairs and small groups, and this contributes to the good progress they make while at the school. For example, in a Year 3 and 4 literacy lesson, pupils were asked to first discuss in pairs their ideas for the beginning of story set in Egypt and then to share these ideas with other pairs. This sharing of ideas helped pupils to produce good quality introductions to their stories.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In a Year 5 and 6 science lesson, also linked to World War Two, pupils showed high engagement when using laptops to research rationing recipes to investigate whether these provided a balanced diet. They then went on to discuss whether the war-time diet was more or less balanced than current day diets and were able to present and justify their arguments articulately.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A small amount of teaching requires improvement. Sometimes teachers talk for too long and as a result pupils do not have as much time as they could have working on activities. Occasionally, teachers do not make clear to pupils what is expected of them in the time available or what they need to do to succeed. Consequently, some groups of pupils do not make as rapid progress in the lesson as they should.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils conduct themselves in an exemplary manner both in lessons and around the school. Their outstanding behaviour contributes to an excellent climate for learning. Relationships between pupils and their teachers are very positive. When necessary, teachers manage behaviour extremely well and pupils’ positive response is immediate.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils engage with visitors in a highly confident and courteous manner. They hold open doors and are extremely polite. They showed great maturity for their age when speaking with the inspector, confidently initiating conversation as well as listening to one another.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and appreciate the fact that their teachers make learning exciting and fun. They say that they feel very happy and safe at school; they like the fact that they all know one another and mix with pupils in all age groups. Older pupils very carefully look after younger pupils in the playground, and pupils new to the school commented on how all pupils were kind to them when they were new to the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say that there is very little misbehaviour and could not cite any examples of this. Pupils show good awareness of different kinds of bullying, including cyber bullying, but also say that there is no bullying of any kind in the school. These views are supported by the school’s records, observations during the inspection and by comments from parents. Year 6 pupils are anti- bullying ambassadors and help to resolve any worries that younger children may have. They also take on other responsibilities such as that of Junior Road Safety Officers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school provides a very warm and caring environment for all pupils. Parents feel that their children are very happy, well cared for and well taught. The evidence from the inspection wholly supports this view.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders and managers, including governors, know how well the school is performing and are highly committed to bringing about further improvement. Swift action has been taken to ensure that the key issues from the previous inspection report have been successfully addressed. As a result, there have been improvements in the quality of teaching and achievement. The school development plan is well thought out and accurately identifies the school’s strengths and areas for future development. A positive atmosphere pervades all aspects of school life.

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The leadership and management are good

 Regular monitoring of teaching and learning identifies strengths and appropriate priorities for future development. Investment in good quality professional development for staff and governors, together with rigorous approaches to performance management, ensure that teaching is good and improving.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ progress is tracked regularly and rigorously. Half termly pupil progress meetings use this information to identify any pupils who are falling behind. Such pupils and any new to the school with identified gaps receive tailored support to help them to catch up. The Achievement for All programme has had a very positive impact on the achievement of vulnerable pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has adopted a creative curriculum approach, which is beginning to provide good opportunities for pupils to apply core knowledge and skills in a range of contexts that they find interesting and motivating. The curriculum is enhanced by a range of activities trips and visits. Across the year the school also provides a good range of after-school clubs. At the time of the inspection pupils had the opportunity to attend multi-sports, choir, knitting, construction kits and yoga.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils learn about different cultures and life styles through the curriculum and assemblies. They also raise funds for a number of causes, including buying recycled wheel chairs for disabled youngsters in Kenya. This project led to the school winning the national Total Green School award, given to the country’s best environmentally green project. Such activities contribute well to pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 There is an appropriate development plan for using the new primary sport funding to improve the quality of physical education in the school. This includes further developments to the Wellness Centre and developing activity areas in the school playground.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has excellent relationships with parents. All parents who responded to Parent View would recommend the school to another parent. All those who spoke to the inspector in the playground were enthusiastic about both the education and care their children were receiving. They particularly praised the leadership of the headteacher in raising achievement and improving the quality of provision.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school website is up-to-date and informative and provides a range of appropriate information for parents, including regular newsletters.

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The leadership and management are good

 Child protection and safeguarding policies and practice meet requirements and the school rejects discrimination in all its forms. Pupils’ good achievement both personally and academically shows that the school promotes equality of opportunity well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides appropriate support for the school through its universal offer and has also contributed to governor training.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is much improved since the last inspection. Governors are kept fully informed by the headteacher and also through their subject link-governors. They know the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors now have a better understanding of pupil’s achievement and the quality of teaching and learning. They have a good overview of performance data and, as a result, are able to hold the school to account more effectively. Governors regularly audit their skills and seek further training to develop their knowledge, skills and expertise. They ensure that information about pupils’ progress is taken into account when making decisions about teachers’ pay. They know how the pupil premium funding is spent and the impact this is having on raising achievement.

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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 122661 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 428844

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 73 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stuart Armstrong Headteacher Justine Roberts Date of previous school inspection 22 March 2012 Telephone number 01509 842326 Fax number N/A Email address office@normanton-on-soar.notts.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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