Moulton Chapel Primary School

Moulton Chapel Primary School Eaugate Road, Moulton Chapel, Spalding, PE12 0XJ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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

 Not enough pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  While teaching has improved since the last inspection, it is not yet consistently good or better.  Sometimes more-able pupils are not given tasks that help them develop their learning soon enough in lessons.  There are too few opportunities for pupils to use and practice their numeracy and literacy skills in different subjects.  Due to her own teaching commitments the headteacher has been restricted in checking the work of the school at first hand.  Until recently, governors have not looked rigorously at how well the school is doing.  Subject leaders’ have only just started to check on how well their subjects are being taught so that they can help teachers improve and enable pupils’ good learning.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils behave well in and around school. Everyone knows each other and older pupils are keen to help the younger ones.  Pupils feel well looked after and know how to keep themselves safe in different situations.  Children make good progress during their Reception year. Parents say the family atmosphere of the school helps all new children settle in well.  Standards in English and mathematics are improving and last year were above average at the end of Key Stage 1.  The headteacher is now making regular checks on how well teachers are teaching and the progress pupils are making, and is using this to drive improvements.  The governing body is ably led by the new chair who is helping governors review how well they are doing. Governors have put plans in place to improve their challenge and support roles.  Pupils’ particularly good spiritual, moral social and cultural education is nurtured successfully.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 10 lessons or parts of lessons, all of which were seen together with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, other staff, a group of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors and a representative of the local authority.  Informal discussions were held with parents and carers.  The inspector took account of the 20 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 7 completed staff questionnaires.  The inspector observed the school’s work and reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s checks on its performance, its analysis and tracking of pupils’ progress, records of behaviour and safety, school improvement plans, records relating to classroom observations and the management of staff performance, safeguarding arrangements and records of meetings of the governing body.  The inspector also looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and checked information on

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Inspection team

Susan Hughes, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium, which is additional funding for certain groups such as pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, have a parent in the armed forces or are in local authority care, is below average.  Most pupils are White British. There are currently no pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is above average.  The headteacher was teaching four days a week until September 2013 when her teaching commitment was reduced to one day a week.  A new teacher started at the school in September 2013 and the Chair of the Governing Body

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Information about this school

took up post in October 2013.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics but not for progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that pupils in all years make good progress and achieve well in reading, writing and particularly mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good or better by ensuring that:  more-able pupils have work which helps them make good progress throughout the whole lesson  pupils have opportunities to use and practice their literacy and numeracy skills in different subjects  Strengthen leadership, management and governance by ensuring that:  subject leaders develop the skills they need to drive improvement in teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility  governors press ahead with their planned programme of classroom visits  recent systems to check on how well the school is doing are fully implemented and result in sustained good teaching and pupils’ good achievement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because not enough pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics from their typically average starting point.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013 standards at the end of Key Stage 1 were above average. Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 were only average because these pupils had made inadequate progress since they left Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 School data and work in books indicate that some current pupils are making good progress, especially in reading and writing. However, this is not consistent across all year groups or subjects. A few pupils are making slow progress, especially in mathematics because, owing to disruptions in teaching in their earlier years, they have gaps in their knowledge that have to be filled before they can make more rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make at least as good progress as other pupils, and some make better progress because of the effective help they receive to become successful learners.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium make at least expected progress in reading and writing but progress in mathematics is slower because work to fill gaps in their knowledge and understanding is not always given enough attention. The number of these pupils in each year group is too small to report without identifying individuals. However, the gap between their attainment and the attainment of other pupils is narrowing because they receive additional support in small groups or on an individual basis which is helping them catch up quickly.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 More-able pupils in Key Stage 1 make good progress because teachers have high expectations of what they can do and some pupils join in Year 3 lessons for literacy and mathematics. In Key Stage 2 however, more-able pupils’ progress is sometimes hampered by them having to listen to explanations they already understand before receiving work which moves their learning forward.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children typically start school with skills expected for their age group. They make good progress during their Reception year and start in Key Stage 1 with well-developed personal, social and emotional skills, though some have slightly weaker communication skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The results of the most recent Year 1 national screening check on how well pupils know phonics (the sounds that letters represent in words) were above average, as were overall standards at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2013. Pupils use their phonic skills confidently to read unfamiliar words such as ‘accomplishment’, even if they are unsure of the meaning. Older pupils enjoy reading and say they read regularly at home and in school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Younger pupils enjoy writing for different purposes. Older pupils write creatively and, more recently, at length but are hampered by the lack of opportunities to refine their skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils make good progress in physical education. Their skills, and those of their teachers, are developed through good use of specialist sports coaches. During the inspection pupils were observed achieving well in a coach-led gymnastics lesson.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement in English and mathematics. All teachers teach well at times but this is not consistent and so good teaching is interspersed with less effective teaching. Disruption in teaching in previous years means that some pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge, especially in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils generally listen attentively to teachers’ introductions and explanations of tasks. However, in some cases this is information that the more-able pupils already know and they get bored. They lose focus and, while not disturbing the lesson, have to wait too long for work that will excite and challenge them.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The different subjects pupils learn are interesting and varied, but provide few opportunities other than in English lessons, for pupils to practise their reading and writing skills. Likewise, opportunities for using numeracy skills are infrequent in other subjects such as topic work or science. This hampers progress and achievement.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported, especially those who have developmental or behavioural needs. Most pupils make at least expected progress because they are well taught by the right blend of small-group and whole-class teaching. Additional adults in the classroom are well briefed and provide sensitive and appropriate help whilst encouraging pupils to be able to work without support.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils who receive help from the pupil premium are supported in small groups or on a one-to- one basis as needed which is helping close the gaps in attainment with other pupils. The funding is also used effectively to ensure that pupils are able to participate in activities and clubs which support their wider learning and development.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning. Even when parts of a lesson go on too long or the work is too easy or hard for them, they are polite and usually attentive. For example, some Year 1 pupils spent a long time copying down the date and ‘learning challenge’ before starting on the activity. They persevered and were not distracted even though it was a laborious task which left them little time for the learning challenge itself.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers mark books in accordance with the recently introduced marking policy. They give pupils guidance as to how to improve and pupils respond well to their comments, which is helping them make better progress towards their personal targets. All pupils now understand what level they are working at and what they need to do to progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Children in Reception enjoy a wide range of activities which develop their skills well. For example, during the inspection, two girls were quietly singing the alphabet song together while other children were running toy cars down ramps of different heights. They were able to identify that the steeper the ramp, the faster the cars ran.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in and around school. They are polite to adults and each other, holding doors open, stepping aside for each other and readily sharing equipment. They think that behaviour is generally good in the school and most parents agree.  Pupils have a good understanding of what bullying is and the different forms it can take, such as physical and emotional bullying. They say there is little, or no, bullying in the school but acknowledge that people sometimes ‘fall out’. They see this as normal and say that if they can’t sort it out for themselves, there is always an adult around who will help.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school provides good opportunities for pupils to learn about staying safe. They speak animatedly about scenarios set up by the police which raised awareness about not being tricked into going off with strangers. Pupils are acutely aware of measures in school which keep them safe and told the inspector that they would never open the door to anyone not in school uniform or without a known identity badge.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Some pupils who have found behaving well difficult in other schools have settled well at this school. That is because they understand the rewards and sanctions which are consistently applied, and feel they are fair. Pupils say that teachers always listen to them and take them seriously if they have a problem.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons is good. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and usually concentrate well. They try hard to stay attentive, even if the work is not as exciting in some lessons as others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school works very closely with parents to ensure that pupils attend regularly. This has resulted in a great improvement in attendance since the last inspection.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because the quality of teaching and achievement has not improved enough since the last inspection. The headteacher knows what to do to improve the school but has only recently had the time required to drive improvement at a brisk pace.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress in English and mathematic is checked regularly by the headteacher. Subject leaders are beginning to analyse data and observe teaching to make sure that any pupils in danger of falling behind are helped to catch up. However, they have not all yet developed the skills they need to accurately identify how teaching can improve and make sure that all pupils make good progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Class teachers are held accountable for the progress their pupils make. The appraisal system for checking teachers’ performance ensures that individual targets are used by the headteacher and the governing body to measure whether pay rises and promotion are justified by results. Teachers and support staff say that they have good training opportunities to develop and refine their skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum is based on topics which pupils find exciting and interesting. However, this approach does not provide enough planned opportunities for pupils to practise their literacy and numeracy skills in different subjects.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Specialist sports coaches are employed by the school and help teachers develop their own skills so that they can teach high-quality physical education lessons. Expertise in different subjects is shared across a group of local schools, and this also provides good opportunities for pupils to work together and learn new skills.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is a real strength of the school. The caring environment encourages pupils’ self-awareness and awareness of others so that they show consideration and respect for each other. The school is the hub of the local community and ‘school events’ are rapidly becoming known as ‘village events’. The school is working to promote equality of opportunity to make sure that all pupils achieve equally well. It tackles discrimination to ensure that all pupils feel included in the school and local community.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 At the same time, the school promotes a wider understanding of different aspects of culture through art exhibitions, visiting theatre companies and the recent multicultural festival held by the local partnership of schools. Music plays an important part of school life and all pupils have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has provided good support for the school which has included leadership training, governor training and individual support for teachers. A Local Leader in Education has been working with the school and has supported the headteacher in developing teachers’ leadership skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The Chair of the Governing Body leads the work of the governing body well. Since he took up post the governors have reviewed the way they work, appraised their own strengths and expertise, attended training sessions and compiled a schedule of well-focused visits to the school to check on how well it is doing. While some of these actions have started to change the way governors work and they are now asking more challenging questions of the school leaders, visits to the school have not yet begun. Governors understand how the pupil premium money is spent and check that it is improving learning opportunities and achievement for the small but significant number of eligible pupils. They are also confident about how the new primary sports funding is being spent and how they will assess its impact on pupils’ well-being. The governors know how the system for appraising and setting targets for teachers

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The leadership and management requires improvement

contributes to the quality of teaching and they use school data to check pupils’ progress. They ensure that teachers’ pay rises are linked to the progress their pupils make. Governors have made sure that national requirements for safeguarding and child protection are fully 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 120417 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 430710

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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 65 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Simon Rogers Headteacher Lisa Meacher Date of previous school inspection 15 May 2012 Telephone number 01406 380440 Fax number 01406 380440 Email address Lesley.mackenzie@moultonchapel.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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