Coltishall Primary School

Coltishall Primary School St John's Close, Coltishall, Norwich, NR12 7HA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Attainment has risen significantly over the last three years in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Pupils achieve well above average results in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Children in Reception receive an excellent start to their learning and make outstanding progress.  Teaching is inspirational. Staff work together to learn from each other to enhance their teaching skills.  Teachers have unfalteringly high expectations. They give lessons true purpose by making sure pupils understand how learning their new skills will help them when they are older.  In lessons teachers set challenging, yet achievable, activities for pupils of all abilities. Pupils love rising to their challenges and make rapid progress in lessons.  Exceptionally skilled questioning, by teachers and teaching assistants, makes all pupils think carefully for themselves and develop deep understanding of what they are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

learning.  Reading is given very high priority and pupils enjoy sharing books. Achievement in reading is outstanding in all year groups.  Pupils love their school because it is an interesting and fun place to learn where they feel very safe; this is reflected in their above- average attendance.  Behaviour is impeccable. Pupils are excited to learn and provide excellent support to each other in class and around the school.  The headteacher has inspired his staff to improve and, together, they have moved the school forward considerably since the previous inspection.  Information about how well pupils are doing is skilfully used by leaders and managers, including governors, to make sure all groups of pupils make rapid and sustained progress.  The school’s evaluation of its own strengths and weaknesses is written collaboratively by the school community and used effectively to write ambitious plans to drive further

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improvements.  The governing body provides exceptional support and challenge to the headteacher.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes. They saw 12 lessons, two of which were jointly observed with the headteacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils read in Year 1 and Year 6, and observed the teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make).  Meetings were held with the headteacher, subject leaders, a group of pupils, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Governing Body and a representative from the local authority.  The 43 responses to the online Parent View survey were considered, together with 19 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books as well as looking at pupils’ work in all classrooms.  A number of documents were examined, including the school’s evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses, school improvement plans, records of meetings of the governing body, safeguarding files, data on pupils’ current progress, and information on the management of teachers’ performance and the monitoring of teaching.

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Inspection team

Emily Simpson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Isobel Randall Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for particular groups such as those who are known to be eligible for free school meals, is below average.  An above-average proportion of pupils join the school at times other than the start of the school year.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Check that pupils respond to the comments teachers write in their books so that they can improve their work, and consider giving pupils more opportunities to review how well they are learning for themselves in all classes.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Decisive actions taken since the previous inspection, including the careful checking of teaching and information about how well pupils are doing, have led to rapid improvements in achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children enter Reception with skills below those typically expected for their age; they make outstanding progress because staff use information about how well pupils are doing to plan learning activities meticulously. They form strong links with parents so learning is a partnership from the earliest stages. They are very well prepared for entry to Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Attainment has risen significantly in the past three years. Year 2 national assessment results in 2013 show pupils are two terms ahead of pupils nationally in reading and mathematics and three terms ahead in writing. Results have also risen to be consistently above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils leave the school two terms ahead in mathematics and three terms ahead in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Teachers and pupils have risen to the challenge of the very high expectations for achievement set by the headteacher. Lessons initially challenge more-able pupils but are suitable for every pupil’s needs. The impact of this is that almost one quarter of Year 6 pupils achieved the highest Level 6 in mathematics in 2013. School information shows this achievement is set to continue.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 School information about how well pupils are doing shows that pupils in all classes make rapid progress, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils supported by the pupil premium represent a small group in school and their attainment cannot be judged without identifying individual pupils. They receive additional help, including small-group teaching, and make as much progress as their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils learn at a very fast rate because teachers know their pupils’ abilities very well. They plan activities to encourage pupils to think carefully and develop a better understanding of their learning. Teachers do not waste time in lessons which creates the maximum opportunity for learning. This helps pupils learn very quickly.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The teaching of reading and phonics is outstanding. Pupils reached scores above the national average in the Year 1 phonics screening check in each of the two years the check was carried out. All staff are trained in teaching phonics and pupils are taught in small groups and make rapid progress in reading in all year groups. The joy of sharing books was seen in Reception when children happily talked to each other about their favourite stories without any adult prompting.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 A high number of pupils join the school part way through each year. These pupils make as much progress as their classmates because they benefit from excellent support from staff and pupils and receive outstanding teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils achieve well in physical education because pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own and their friends’ work. Teachers link work in physical education to pupils’ learning in other subjects. For example, in a Year 2 lesson pupils linked their movements to their mathematical work on symmetry. This meaningful link improved pupils’ progress in both subjects.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Most teaching is outstanding and it is never less than consistently good. This teaching, combined with teachers’ incredibly high expectations, enables all pupils to fulfil their potential and make outstanding progress.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers initially plan lessons to meet the needs of the more-able pupils and adapt activities appropriately to make them suitable for pupils of all abilities. This approach has successfully increased the level of challenge in pupils’ work and has helped all groups of pupils learn more quickly.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Mathematics is taught exceptionally well. Teachers make sure pupils have a deep understanding of mathematical concepts before learning or refining their calculation skills. This was seen in a Year 3 lesson on fractions; the teacher spent time making sure pupils knew what a fraction was before teaching them how to find the fractions of shapes.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The teaching of writing is highly effective because teachers make strong links between teaching reading and writing. Pupils are given exciting themes to write about which they research through their reading. They then practise the grammar and specific sentence-writing style needed before doing a piece of extended writing. This approach means pupils fully understand how to write in different styles and has led to rapid progress in writing.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers give their lessons real-life contexts so pupils understand why their learning will be of use to them in the future. This approach is used in different year groups and pupils’ responses show they have high aspirations.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers are highly skilled at asking questions that make pupils think carefully about their own learning. In an outstanding Year 6 mathematics lesson pupils were completing multiplication sums in their heads. The teacher’s questions focused on the different methods pupils used and prompted them to evaluate how useful the techniques had been as this would be of most use to pupils’ future learning.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Marking in pupils’ books is excellent and pupils are given clear guidance about how to make their work even better. Teachers do not always ensure that pupils make full use of this support to make improvements.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 In some classes pupils are given many opportunities to analyse their own work and evaluate how successful they have been. They then have ‘learning conversations’ with their teacher to improve their work. This highly effective approach is not used in all classes.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching assistants support learning at all times during lessons. When teachers are asking questions to the whole class they check pupils’ understanding and provide quiet additional guidance where necessary. When all pupils are working it is impossible to tell who is the teacher and who is the teaching assistant in many classes because their skill levels are so high.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils love learning and endeavour to do their very best whether working by themselves or with friends in lessons. These exemplary attitudes to learning are evident in all classes and enable pupils to make outstanding progress in all subjects.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are exceedingly friendly, polite and courteous to each other, staff and visitors. Pupils from different year groups work together in ‘buddy groups’ on special projects – during the inspection they were making Christmas decorations and decorating the school. This approach creates a fully harmonious atmosphere in which pupils take responsibility for supporting and encouraging one another.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils of all ages play together happily and safely on the playground and staff join in with playground games. These excellent relationships between adults and pupils are evident in the whole school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 In class, pupils are very keen and excited to learn and teachers are highly skilled in using different ways to keep pupils engaged and yet fully focused on their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils report there is no bullying in school and well-kept school records support this view. Misbehaviour of any form is extremely rare and swiftly tackled; because of this pupils are confident that adults will help them when needed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school places high priority on keeping pupils safe and this pervades the curriculum. Pupils in all year groups are taught how to keep safe when using computers. The impact of this teaching is frequently reviewed with pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils arrive at school on time every morning excited by the challenges that await them. Attendance has increased year-on-year and is now above average. This helps pupils make outstanding progress.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher is an outstanding leader who rightly holds the full respect of pupils, staff, parents and governors. Following the previous inspection he instigated swift and effective actions to fully address the identified issues, raise attainment and accelerate pupil progress. The success of these actions show the school has strong capacity to improve further.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Information about how well pupils are doing in reading, writing and mathematics is checked carefully by leaders and managers and used to set targets for teachers. These targets are reviewed frequently and have been effective in making teaching outstanding.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders and managers carefully check the progress of pupils supported by the pupil premium and disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs. Both groups make as much progress as their classmates because school leaders successfully make sure everyone has the same chance to succeed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The teachers in charge of English and mathematics observe teaching in their subjects, speak to pupils of different abilities about their learning and carefully check pupils’ work and teachers’ marking to provide guidance to teachers about how to improve. They complete this process every term for every teacher. The headteacher checks the impact of this process against improvements in achievement. This very thorough approach has made a significant contribution to improving teaching and accelerating pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher encourages all staff to improve by setting the highest expectations, leading by example, providing a range of training and carefully checking to see if everybody is coming up to the mark. His careful balance of challenge and support is appreciated by staff as responses to the staff questionnaire show morale is very high.  The headteacher constantly and accurately checks the success of the school alongside staff and governors. Together they write and review plans to develop and improve the school. This shared approach has contributed considerably to the rapid improvements in the school as everyone understands their key role in the process.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school has bought in a variety of services from the local authority, including English and mathematics consultant support, which has helped develop the impact of subject leaders on pupil achievement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils are given a wide range of exciting opportunities in other subjects, enhanced by numerous visits and visitors. Pupils are taught philosophy in all classes and love considering and responding to questions posed by ‘Phil the frog’. These reflective skills support pupils with their learning in all subjects. This all contributes to pupils’ very strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 There are clear plans to use the additional government funding allocated for primary school sport. The school plans to use funds for professional sport teachers to teach high quality physical education and has plans to measure the impact of this work.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school actively encourages parents to be partners in their children’s learning. They come in to work alongside ‘buddy groups’ or take part in parent workshops and parent forums. They are fully supportive of the school and all parents spoken to on inspection or who completed the Parent View questionnaire would recommend the school to other parents.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is a highly professional body, fully focused on doing the very best for pupils. Governors have an outstanding understanding of information about how well pupils are doing and use this to make sure funds, including the pupil premium, are spent wisely.  Governors are fully committed to their own development so they can be of best service to the school. Since the previous inspection they commissioned their own review to evaluate their effectiveness and swiftly acted upon its advice. As a result they are in an excellent place to continue to challenge and support the headteacher to improve the school further.  Governors play an active role in writing and reviewing plans for school improvement. They monitor the impact of the quality of teaching and have made sure the pay policy reflects how better teachers will be rewarded financially. They know what to do in the event of any

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The leadership and management are outstanding

underperformance.  The governing body has a clear programme of policy review and it makes sure that all statutory requirements relating to safeguarding are met.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 121017 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 425277

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 174 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ian Clark Headteacher Mark Adamson Date of previous school inspection 28 February 2012 Telephone number 01603 737481 Fax number 01603 736118 Email address office@coltishall.norfolk.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

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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