Lydbrook Primary School

Lydbrook Primary School School Road, Lydbrook, Gloucestershire, GL17 9PX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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.  Lydbrook Primary is a warm and welcoming school where pupils learn and play together well.  Pupils achieve well and, by the end of Year 6, achievements in reading, writing and mathematics are broadly average, often from low starting points.  Teaching is consistently good and sometimes of high quality. In most lessons, teachers motivate pupils well so they make good progress.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They have good manners and show respect to everyone  Pupils say they enjoy their lessons, feel safe and are sure adults will keep them safe.  Governors know the school well and make sure that leaders are improving it.  Leaders are highly ambitious, and since starting to work with another local primary school, they have used the opportunities well to improve the school.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide good supportive leadership.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

make a good start to their education and have closed the gaps significantly by the time they enter Year 1.  Good support and teaching in Years 1 and 2 mean that almost all pupils are well prepared for Year 3.  Most parents are supportive of the school. Several support pupils with reading and other activities in the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to enable pupils to make rapid progress.  When teachers mark pupils’ work, they do not always give them enough advice to improve their work so they can achieve more.  The system that helps teachers check pupils’ progress is new. Teachers are not using it well enough yet to make sure that pupils make rapid progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Nine lessons, as well as small group activities, parts of lessons, an assembly and phonics sessions (the links between letters and the sounds they make) were observed.  The inspector listened informally to pupils read in most classes and formally from Years 2 and 6.  The inspector had discussions with individual pupils and groups of pupils from across the school.  The inspector scrutinised pupils’ books with the school’s headteacher.  The inspector talked informally with parents, and considered 32 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), as well as the school’s own survey of parents’ views, and two letters from parents.  Questionnaires completed by 13 members of staff were taken into account.  A discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.  A meeting was held with three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body.  Various school documents were examined. These included monitoring records of the quality of

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Information about this inspection

teaching, the school’s development plan, the school’s review of its own performance, minutes of the governing body meetings, records of pupils’ attendance and data on pupils’ behaviour and progress.

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Inspection team

Jean Whalley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller than average-sized primary school in a rural setting.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action, school action plus and statements of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium is below average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority.)  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The school offers breakfast and after-school clubs, all of which are managed by the governing body.  Since the previous inspection, the governing body has been restructured and rejuvenated to provide a new Chair of Governors, two Vice Chairs and new parent governors. The school

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Information about this school

leadership has also been restructured to allow the headteacher time to collaborate with another local primary school, and the deputy headteacher to lead the school in the headteacher’s absence. Other leadership roles have been delegated to experienced teachers and a previously part-time teacher is now full-time. A family support worker and a part-time special educational needs coordinator have been appointed. There is a new administrator in the school office.  The school holds a number of awards, including Healthy Schools, the International Award – the Advanced International Award is being undertaken – and the headteacher is a Local Leader of Education.  The school has exceeded the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from consistently good to outstanding to enable pupils to make rapid progress by:  embedding the use of the new tracking system to quickly address any emerging problems and set challenging targets so pupils make rapid progress  embedding the recently introduced marking policy so that all pupils know how well they are doing and have the advice and guidance they need to improve their work  sharing the best teaching expertise within the school so that teaching becomes consistently of high quality.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the school nursery with skills and abilities which are below those expected for their age. In recent years, the levels of these skills and abilities have fallen, but good provision, combined with excellent relationships and a very strong nurturing approach, ensures that all pupils get off to a good start. They make good progress so that by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, almost half of the children have the knowledge and skills that would be expected for their age. A few have better knowledge and skills than would be expected.  The slight fall in Key Stage 1 attainment in the last three years is as a result of the fall in the children’s starting points. However, careful tracking and appropriate interventions mean that the majority of pupils make good progress so that by the end of Key Stage 1, attain standards which are broadly in line with the national average.  Results at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2013 were slightly better than in 2012. From below average

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The achievement of pupils is good

starting points, the majority of pupils made good progress through Key Stage 2 to attain standards at the end of Year 6 which were broadly in line with the national averages.  Regular pupil progress meetings ensure that any pupils falling behind are quickly identified and provided with additional adult support in the classroom and small group teaching activities.  More able pupils are provided with work that is well matched to their ability, provides good challenge and ensures they achieve well.  A new programme is showing signs that individual pupils’ and groups of pupils’ progress will be even more closely tracked. This enabled the school to provide individual and group progress data to demonstrate that pupils in Years 2 to 6 are making better than expected progress so that by the end of Year 6 most of them should attain above the national average.  Pupils’ books are marked regularly but teachers do not consistently give pupils detailed,

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The achievement of pupils is good

appropriate advice and guidance to ensure they can improve their work. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are not routinely marked or corrected.  Tailored support and small-group teaching activities ensure that pupils entitled to support through pupil premium funding make good progress across all subjects; their performance in all subjects is similar to, and sometimes better than, that of their classmates and national groups.  The number of pupils who are disabled and those with special educational needs is small in Key Stage 2 though their numbers are rising in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school has responded well by investing in a variety of resources, including the appointment of a new, well- qualified special educational needs coordinator.  As a result of these changes, the provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs has been strengthened. All such pupils make good progress in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There are very few pupils from minority ethnic groups and the number of pupils who speak English as an additional language is also very small. They achieve as well as their classmates and are broadly in line with similar groups nationally.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Almost all the teaching observed during the inspection was good, with a little that was outstanding, and none that required improvement. Lessons are well planned so pupils are well aware of what they are expected to learn during lessons.  All teachers have high expectations for what pupils can achieve and ensure that almost all pupils make good progress. However, teachers do not always allow pupils enough time to answer questions fully before they move on. This means they do not always make as much progress as they could.  Relationships between teachers and pupils in all classes are excellent. They have a very positive impact on pupils’ learning, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children develop confidence to test their skills and learn to organise themselves, for example putting wellingtons on the correct feet and zipping up coats, before going outside on a treasure hunt. They worked

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The quality of teaching is good

cooperatively with their classmates to make sure no one was left behind and everyone could see the clues.  In Key Stages 1 and 2, teachers provide pupils with a wide range of appropriate activities to develop their knowledge and understanding. In a good Year 5 and Year 6 English lesson, pupils were developing news reports of the recent local floods. They listened attentively to the three ‘reporters’ and then gave them feedback on improving the reports and presentations. In other lessons, teachers used effective strategies to address pupils’ misconceptions. As a result, pupils made good progress.  Literacy, phonics and numeracy are taught well in small focused groups and whole-class lessons. Links between reading, writing, mathematics and science are made through themed topic work, for example, on the Vikings, space exploration, India and pirates.  Support staff provide good support in a variety of settings, for example, focused support to one

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The quality of teaching is good

pupil and small groups of pupils. At other times, they circulate the class responding to pupils’ questions and checking their progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are fully engaged in their learning for the vast majority of the time. Occasionally, there is the odd incident of fidgety behaviour. These are dealt with calmly and quietly so there is no disruption to anyone else’s learning.  The majority of parents and staff believe behaviour is good. The school’s information confirms that behaviour is typically good over time and incidents of poor behaviour are rare.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. The site is very secure and safeguarding meets the statutory requirements.  Those pupils who spoke with the inspector said that bullying did not happen. They are very confident to speak to an adult if they have any concerns.  Pupils have good understanding of how to stay safe online. They know to tell their parents or a teacher about inappropriate sites or messages, any occurrence of cyber-bullying and of the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

importance of never giving any personal information while online.  Pupils are proud of their school and welcome visitors. The staff are good role models, so pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is good.  Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities as school councillors, where they ‘make the rules and get things done’. They also collect and distribute snacks, are playground buddies and supervise activities for younger pupils. Year 6 pupils are trained as office monitors and play a significant role in office administration at lunchtimes.  In a prompt start to the day, the Reception teacher was able to complete the registration process efficiently. Children demonstrated their respect, good manners and listening skills as they responded to their names and questions about their choice of cooked lunch or sandwiches from the teacher.  Pupils enjoy participating in the school’s breakfast and after-school clubs where there are a

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

range of activities on offer, for example computer games, sports and music.  Pupils know that it is wrong to treat anyone differently because they look or speak differently, have a different religion or because of where they come from. They said they would tell a teacher if they heard anyone being called names.  There are a small number of pupils who have exceptional needs and their attendance affects the overall absence rates. The attendance of the rest of pupils is in line with the national averages. Pupils are punctual to school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and other leaders are very ambitious for the school. They have a very clear vision and mission for the school to be outstanding. Leaders are supported by very committed staff and supportive governing body.  The recent collaboration with another local primary school has meant changes to the management structure. The headteacher and deputy headteacher’s roles and responsibilities have changed. These changes are positive and beneficial for the school. They have enabled other staff, particularly the deputy headteacher but also middle leaders, to develop their leadership and management skills effectively. Consequently, there is an increased focus on raising standards across the school through improving the quality of teaching. Senior leaders monitor the quality of teaching regularly and systematically. They rightly recognise the need to share the best practice more widely so that more is outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the previous inspection leaders have reorganised the curriculum so now it is planned around four principles – global environment, language, enterprise and using mathematics. Cultural diversity is addressed via the global aspects of the themes, for example those shown by the Olympic Games or the climate and geography of India. The German teaching assistant teaches the pupils German and shares her culture. There are also links with a French school. The termly focus on one aspect, supported by the other three, is evidence of good leadership.  The school ensures that pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is well promoted by the emphasis on good manners and respect. Time is allowed during the daily assemblies for pupils to reflect on the topic; for example, acts of kindness were highlighted during an assembly around the weather and recent local flooding, followed by a prayer asking for clean water for the

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The leadership and management are good

world.  Pupils in Years 1, 2, 5, and 6 are taught in two mixed age classes. Teachers are using both the current and new curricula so they are well prepared for the introduction of the new National Curriculum. Detailed planning ensures the curriculum meets the needs of all groups of pupils, so that there are equal opportunities for all to make good progress  The school staff are keen to work with parents and the wider community to further engage them in the pupils’ education. The school is particularly keen to engage those families who, in a rural community, are ‘hard to reach’. Examples include inviting parents to share their children’s lessons and parent helpers working with children in classes. One parent expressed how pleased they were to be involved in their children’s education and the pleasure it gave them to see the progress they were making and how they enjoyed their work. A local resident and businessman

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The leadership and management are good

(a parent) shared their experiences of the effects of the recent floods on their home and business. Pupils were clearly moved by the visitors’ experiences and this showed in their writing.  Partnership with a local high school is supporting staff and more able pupils in reaching the higher levels of attainment and the local university regularly uses the school as a placement for its trainee teachers.  The local authority recognises the benefits the recent collaboration has brought to the school in enabling wider leadership roles to be developed. It has also provided good support in advising the school about the new progress-tracking software that has been introduced recently.  The governance of the school:  Governors know the school well. They know about the quality of teaching in the school and how performance management links to pay. They question leaders and set demanding targets so the school provides good quality education and ensure almost all pupils make good

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The leadership and management are good

progress. Frequent visits provide opportunities to observe lessons, listen to other parents’ concerns and question school staff. Governors know that pupil premium funding is well spent on small group teaching activities and the family support worker to help raise levels of attainment for pupils who are supported by additional funding. Governors agreed how the physical education and sports grant should be used. External sports coaches support physical education lessons, and monitor pupils’ improving skills and fitness. They are improving teachers’ abilities to provide high quality sports lessons when the funding ends. Attendance at after-school sports clubs is monitored and there are plans to survey pupils’ total involvement in physical activity, both in school and outside of school with their families. Governors provide support and challenge, keep the school’s finances secure and keep their training up to date.

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The leadership and management are good

They regularly sample the school’s excellent lunches to ensure they are healthy and good value.

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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 115531 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 431851

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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 138 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Rebecca Sime Executive Headteacher Mr S T Lusted Date of previous school inspection 16–17 November 2010 Telephone number 01594 860344 Fax number 01594 860399 Email address admin@lydbrook.gloucs.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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