The Spalding Monkshouse Primary School

The Spalding Monkshouse Primary School Pennygate, Spalding, PE11 1LG

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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 Good 2 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 because teaching is good.  Pupils who have English as an additional language and those in the speech and language unit gain in confidence because they benefit from the considerable expertise of specialist teachers.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes are well prepared for Key Stage 1 because of good teaching.  All staff teach phonics (the links between letters and sounds) exceptionally well. Developing reading skills has a high profile in the school and pupils read well as a result.  Pupils are keen to learn and do well. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Pupils feel safe and well looked after by staff.  Leadership and management are good. The headteacher and staff work as an effective team and have eradicated previous weaknesses. They regularly check on teaching and pupils’ progress.  Parents and carers are full of praise for the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school and staff are extremely happy and positive about working here.  Governors know how well the staff and pupils are performing through their regular visits to the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Planning for indoor and outdoor learning in the Nursery and Reception classes is not linked well enough and so children have too few opportunities when working outside to develop existing skills or learn new ones.  A minority of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in the main part of the school do not make the same good progress as others because tasks are not always matched closely to their needs and they do not have access to the kinds of modern technology that would help them improve.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 21 lessons taught by 14 teachers. Three lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher.  Meetings were held with the Pupil Council, six pupils from Year 6, the Chair of the Governing Body and one other governor, the headteacher and the other senior leaders, including the leader of the speech and language unit.  A discussion took place with a representative from the local authority about the support and advice it gives to the school.  There were 29 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) by the end of the inspection. The inspectors took account of these and also sought the views of parents and carers as they arrived at school with their children.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ recent and current progress, planning for school

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Information about this inspection

improvement, and records of governing body meetings, checks on teaching and behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Joseph Peacock, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Colin Lower Additional Inspector Aune Turkson-Jones Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school, with some pupils travelling considerable distances to attend.  There is a specially resourced provision in the form of a speech and language unit at the school taking pupils from a wide area. Currently there are nine pupils in the unit. Some travel for an hour to attend this specialist unit.  Just over one in five pupils is from a minority ethnic background which is slightly below average but the proportion is increasing. A third of these have English as an additional language. The proportion in the Nursery this year is almost half. Most children in the Nursery and Reception classes are in the early stages of learning to speak English. Almost all pupils are fluent in English by the time they move into Key Stage 2.  Children attend the Nursery either in the morning or afternoon or in a two and half day block.  The proportion of pupils supported by additional government funding through the pupil premium

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Information about this school

is below average. In this school, it mostly applies to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  More pupils than usual join or leave the school during the school year.  There is a breakfast café available for pupils to use for half an hour before school

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In the Nursery and Reception classes, ensure that planning links the activities being taught indoors and outdoors more closely in order to give children the opportunity to acquire new skills more quickly.  Ensure that all disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make consistently good progress in reading, writing and mathematics by:  matching tasks more closely to these pupils’ ability in all parts of lessons and ensure they sufficiently challenging when pupils are taken out of the classroom for individual help  increasing the use of modern technology to support and enhance their learning in lessons  ensuring that senior leaders regularly check the impact of the teaching and support for this group of pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school on a part-time basis in the Nursery with skills and understanding that are below those typical seen at this age. About half of them have English as an additional language. All make rapid progress in learning English because of good teaching that is very well supported by older pupils acting as language ambassadors.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children make good progress in learning phonics (the sounds that individual and groups of letters make). Some are able to apply their learning and spell simple words correctly. The school’s records show that children are making good progress in developing key skills in all areas of learning by the time they leave the Reception class. The planning of outdoor activities does not always links closely with their work indoors in literacy and numeracy and so the development of new skills is not as rapid as it could be for some.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The good start children make to school is due to the support they receive from adults as they work in groups or independently. They also take part in a wide range of enjoyable and challenging activities that are planned for them. For example, creating firework shapes and colours using modern technology, writing words about bonfire night outdoors in the writing house or mixing magic spells with coloured water. All know what Guy Fawkes was trying to do! Good teaching ensures that all are prepared well for the next phase of their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Almost all pupils make good progress in each year in Key Stages 1 and 2. However, overall attainment varies because of the mobility of pupils and sometimes high proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in a particular year. Nonetheless, standards are rising across the school. Pupils are on track to achieve at least expected levels in English and mathematics, and some to exceed them, by the end of Year 6. This represents a significant improvement in mathematics and is due to the better teaching in the subject.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment in reading and writing matches the performance of pupils nationally. Guided reading sessions and motivational schemes, such as filling a cinema seat if a pupil reads every day and the promise of a film when all seats are filled, encourage good reading habits and help raise standards.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Phonic skills are taught effectively throughout the school and this is helping improve pupils’ writing skills. In Year 2, pupils wrote about events at a birthday party and Year 6 prepared to write about settings and character for stories set in Ancient Greece. Pupils write expressively, for example a pupil who has English as an additional language who wrote, ‘An adult cry with phosphorescent, deafening glare.’

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In mathematics, pupils are taught in groups according to their ability in Key Stage 2. Planned tasks match their ability level well and pupils are keen to solve problems involving division, for example. All are able to employ a range of strategies to find the right answer.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although approximately two thirds of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in both English and mathematics, overall progress for this group requires improvement because, for a significant minority, progress is not as fast as it needs to be.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in the speech and language unit make at least good progress. All significantly improve their speaking skills, encouraged by supportive and highly skilled staff. Staff expertise, built up over time, means that some of these pupils make outstanding progress from their starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school uses the additional pupil premium funding well to provide additional resources as well as individual help for pupils known to be eligible, and school records show that this helps to improve their attainment in English and mathematics. Their standards overall now match those of their classmates but are a little stronger in reading and writing than in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection and is more consistently good. In a quarter of the lessons seen, it was outstanding. In mathematics, for example, better teaching for pupils grouped by ability in Key Stage 2 has successfully raised attainment for most pupils to the same level as in English.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Nursery and Reception classes, children are supported closely by adults who successfully encourage speaking and listening through conversation and questioning. This accelerates the understanding and speaking of English for those who have English as an additional language.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Children make particularly good progress in phonics, and this prepares them well for reading and writing when they move into Year 1. Newly learned skills are not always effectively reinforced in indoor and outdoor tasks in teachers’ planning and so it can take some longer than expected for some pupils to grasp them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers accurately assess pupils’ rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics, so any pupils who are falling behind are quickly identified and supported, often individually.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils read carefully and respond to teachers’ helpful marking comments, ensuring that they invariably produce neat, accurate work in their exercise books.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff manage behaviour consistently well, and normally deal with any rare incidents of inappropriate behaviour immediately and effectively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading and writing are taught well to most pupils, so they build effectively on their phonic knowledge to read accurately, spell words correctly and punctuate sentences well. In mathematics, teachers plan challenging, problem-solving tasks to engage and interest pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because their individual learning needs are appropriately met in teachers’ planning. Teaching assistants support their learning effectively in lessons. However, some lesson introductions are over-long and they, and the activities themselves, are not always tailored closely enough to match pupils’ ability levels and needs. When this happens, progress slows.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils generally use modern technology effectively in lessons to enhance their learning and have regular sessions to use the computers in the computer suite. However, modern technology is rarely used to support and enhance learning for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, particularly when they are working out of the classroom.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the speech and language unit, teaching is good with some of outstanding quality seen during the inspection that directly addressed pupils’ language difficulties. An animated performance by the teacher wearing a witch’s hat and challenging pupils to use magic spells to sequence words into sentences resulted in praise for their ‘fabulous phrases’. A lit candle and background music create the right atmosphere to stimulate all to do their best. Pupils enjoy learning in the unit and confidently join other classes to work with other pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and say that they enjoy school. ‘I feel sorry for people who do not come to this school’ and ‘Everyone is friendly; I have Polish and Latvian friends’ were typical comments from pupils. There is a quiet, industrious atmosphere in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is good in lessons and around school. School records show that there have been no exclusions since the previous inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that they feel safe. ‘There is a connection between us pupils and adults. We feel we can rely on them’ was a typical quote from pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying. Most are adamant that bullying does not happen. ‘Some people are occasionally mischievous’, according to pupils. They were clear about the need for internet safety and were able to explain the different types of bullying such as cyber bullying. School records show that incidents of bullying or racist behaviour are rare.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is broadly average and there is very little persistent absence. Most pupils are punctual, showing how keen they are to come to school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The breakfast café available for half an hour before school starts is popular. Pupils are able to start their day with a proper breakfast, especially those who have travelled a long way to school. Behaviour is exemplary as they catch up on one another’s news and prepare for lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The few parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire had positive views about the school. They agreed with almost every question and most said that they would recommend the school to others. Those spoken with during the inspection were equally positive about the school. ‘They like coming to this school because staff are so friendly’ was a typical comment.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is using her considerable expertise wisely and is the driving force in raising standards and the quality of education. The partnership between the headteacher and senior leaders is effective and all are working as a team to tackle areas identified for improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The considerable expertise of the deputy headteacher in collecting and analysing performance data makes it easy for staff to identify any individuals or group who are not doing as well as expected.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes is good. The school makes good use of outside specialists to support those who have special educational needs.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership and management of the speech and language unit are effective. The leader has specialist knowledge on how best to support these pupils. All benefit from a stimulating learning environment and the good support of teaching assistants, who help build their confidence when speaking out loud, and this motivates them to learn and feel able to join in other lessons with pupils of their age.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are well-established procedures for the headteacher and the governing body to make sure that teachers’ pay rises are closely linked to their performance. National standards are used effectively to judge the quality of teaching, so accurate judgements are made on how well teachers are doing their jobs.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and leadership team check teaching in termly lesson observations. These checks have succeeded in ensuring that teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection. As a result, most pupils make good progress. The attainment of some disabled pupils and those with special educational needs has already been identified as an area to improve.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is well planned and learning opportunities beyond the normal timetable, such as the Eco club, music tuition and residential visits, add to pupils’ enjoyment of school. Topics about ancient civilizations, learning to speak French and the study of the major religions of the world give pupils a good understanding of different faiths and cultures. This contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The additional funding allocated to increase sporting opportunities is being used to enhance the quality and breadth of physical education and sports provision. It has significantly increased participation by enabling professional coaches to teach pupils skills a diverse range of sports.

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The leadership and management are good

 The welfare and safety of pupils has a high profile. All parents and carers hold positive views about the school. They rightly endorse that staff treat every pupil equally, their children are safe and looked after well, and that discrimination is not tolerated in any form. Pupils are well prepared for life in Britain and a global society.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has supported the school effectively over time, helping to make teaching more consistently good. This has resulted in most pupils being well prepared for the next stage in their education. Governors have also benefited from the relevant range of training programmes provided for them and these have helped them to develop their skills and expertise.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Regular visits by governors give them a good understanding of the quality of teaching and how well pupils are achieving. They are able to compare data on how well pupils are doing in comparison with others nationally. Governors have the knowledge and confidence to hold the school to account for the performance of different groups of pupils, increasing their effectiveness. The governing body is beginning to focus much more on helping the school to check how well it is tackling its identified priorities for improvement. The performance of the headteacher and other teachers is reviewed each year to determine pay increases. Governors’ personal expertise is used to good effect to support their work. All current national requirements relating to employment and safeguarding are met. Governors carefully check the impact of the pupil premium and the funds allocated to provide additional sporting

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The leadership and management are good

opportunities on the achievement and behaviour of 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 120425 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 425001

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 357 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Simon Lilley Headteacher Sue Goodsell Date of previous school inspection 3 November 2011 Telephone number 01775 722006 Fax number 01775 722006 Email address enquiries@monkshouse.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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