East Markham Primary School

East Markham Primary School Askham Road, East Markham, Newark, NG22 0RG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  Leaders and managers, including governors, work constantly to improve achievement and know the school, its pupils and the local community well.  Teachers confidently and accurately measure pupils’ progress, and well-planned lesson activities hold pupils’ interest.  Attainment is above average by the end of Year 6 and rates of progress are quickly improving. Pupils’ attainment in reading is significantly higher than that of pupils nationally.  Pupils feel safe and show good behaviour in everything they do. They are attentive in lessons, considerate and polite in and around the school, and respect each other’s views.  Attendance is above average.  The way subjects are organised and the range of activities provided in and out of school hours motivate pupils and make them keen to learn.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, with moral and social aspects particularly strong.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Governors provide good levels of challenge and support to the headteacher and staff and keep a close check on pupils’ achievement, the quality of teaching and the use of resources.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although improving, the progress that more- able pupils make in mathematics and writing is not consistently rapid.  The standard of pupils’ work when they carry out homework tasks is not as high as it is in their classwork.  The tracking of pupils’ progress by leaders and managers is not sharp enough to quickly identify any pupils, including the most able, who are not working to their full potential.  Governors do not always know how to interpret data on pupils’ performance, or to use it to identify the priorities for the school’s development.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in all classes. This included four phonics sessions from the Early Years Foundation Stage to Year 2, and five other lessons including a multi-skills physical education session taught by an outside specialist.  Meetings were held with: the headteacher and the assistant headteacher; the inclusion support manager; leaders for literacy, numeracy and the Early Years Foundations Stage; and four governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body. A telephone conversation was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector spoke to pupils in classrooms and on the playground, and observed pupils’ behaviour during lunchtime. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 were heard to read. A group made up of pupils from the Reception class to Year 6 met the inspector to discuss their views and opinions.  The inspector looked at work in pupils’ books and on display.

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Information about this inspection

 Parents’ views were gathered through 43 online responses, the school’s own parental survey results and informal discussions with parents at the beginning of the school day. The views of school staff were also taken into account.  The inspector looked at a range of documents including: the school’s self-evaluation and development plan; the headteacher’s report to governors; minutes from governing body meetings; and policies, records and other information relating to safeguarding, attendance, behaviour and the performance management of teachers. Information on the school’s website was also taken into account.

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Inspection team

Lynn Brewster, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average primary school.  The large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action, school action plus or through a statement of educational needs are all much lower than average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority, for which the school receives the pupil premium, is much lower than average.  The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school outside normal times is below average.  There is a nursery on the school site, but it is not managed by the governing body and is inspected separately.  The school is part of a local academy alliance of ‘family schools’. The headteacher is a Local Leader in Education.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics throughout the school by:  ensuring that teachers show high expectations of what all pupils can achieve, and especially the more-able pupils  making writing and mathematics activities more challenging across the school so that pupils have to think much harder and really concentrate on what they are being asked to do  ensuring pupils take more care when completing tasks set for homework.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management, including that by governors, by:  tracking more closely the achievement of individual pupils and acting swiftly if any are at risk of underachieving  improving governors’ ability to interpret performance data and use it effectively to inform improvement priorities.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school in Reception with skills that are broadly typical for their age, although in this comparatively small school, these vary from one year to the next. They make good progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage and, by its end, reach a good level of development and are ready to begin Key Stage 1. Standards in Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics are in line with national averages.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, attainment at the end of Year 6 was above average overall. Pupils’ progress in Key Stage 2 was broadly average in writing and mathematics and slightly above average in reading. Although the school did enter a small number of pupils for the Level 6 test in mathematics in 2013, none reached the required standard.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More-able pupils have not, in the past, consistently reached the high standards they are capable of. However, there is strong evidence that the achievement of these pupils is rising; the school’s data indicate that one in four of current Year 6 pupils are on track to achieve Level 6 in mathematics, reading and writing in the 2014 national tests.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Following below-average results in the Year 1 screening check for phonics (the way letters and sounds combine to make words) in 2013, pupils are now showing rapid improvement. Most pupils are on track to achieve the required standard in Year 1 in 2014, with all pupils expected to achieve it by the end of Year 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because they are well supported by able teachers and teaching assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Too few pupils in Year 6 in 2013 were eligible for the pupil premium to comment on their attainment without potentially identifying individuals. Across the school, the progress of eligible pupils is good, with many making better progress than their classmates. The school has used the funding to provide one-to-one support and additional resources.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation stage is consistently good. The activities provided, both inside the classroom and in the outside area, are imaginative and children rise to the challenges they are set. For example, in one mathematics lesson observed, children were practising singing a song to help them understand number bonds to 10, such as ‘9 add 1 is the same as 1 add 9’. As a result they quickly made rapid progress. Similarly good progress occurred in a phonics session, where pupils were encouraged to write in a cursive style.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the rest of the school is generally good. In a Year 5/6 class, the teacher questioned pupils carefully to probe and deepen their understanding of percentages. Throughout the lesson, the whole class was completely absorbed in its work, with all pupils keen to ‘get it right’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is good. Teachers are accurate in their judgement of levels and other assessments and give pupils clear and precise advice that shows them how to improve their work. Teachers check regularly that pupils have learnt from their mistakes and avoid making them in their subsequent work.  The level of challenge given to more-able pupils is improving but it has not always been high enough to ensure they make as much progress as they should. Teachers do not consistently ensure that the work pupils are set makes them think really hard so that their learning moves on really quickly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are deployed well and make a good contribution to learning. They work well to support the teaching of phonics to small groups and to assist individual pupils who struggle to read, write or use numbers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is well planned and effective. Teachers are aware of the barriers to learning and other difficulties these pupils face, and act quickly to address gaps in their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Homework is set regularly, but it is not always completed to the same standard as work done in class.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils love coming to school and enjoy the activities provided. Their attendance is consequently above average.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good from Reception to Year 6, and this contributes well to their learning and development. This is true during lessons as well as around the school. For example, during lunchtime, where space is at a premium, pupils talk calmly and quietly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show care and consideration to their teachers and each other at all times. They listen well in lessons and cooperate readily when asked to discuss and share thoughts with each other, as seen in a Year 3/4 lesson when they were asked to predict which objects would conduct electricity. This was also the case in a school council team assembly, when pupils put forward their ideas on how to improve playtimes.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe and know how to keep safe, for example when using the internet. A range of visitors come in throughout the year to talk to the pupils about how to keep safe. Pupils appreciate the care that teachers and support staff provide and they unanimously agree that teachers will help to solve problems if they occur. They say bullying is very rare but, if it does happen, they are confident it will be dealt with straight away.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The work of the school to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Policies in respect of safeguarding and child protection are reviewed regularly and case studies of vulnerable pupils show that the school is not afraid to pursue any course of action if it will result in benefits for the pupils. Staff and governors have completed the necessary training for safer recruitment, child protection and first aid.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified in the last inspection report. The development plan contains appropriate priorities, for example for improving pupils’ progress in mathematics and writing, supporting vulnerable pupils and ensuring sports funding makes an impact on pupils’ health and well-being. The school benefits from the headteacher’s knowledge of other schools as a result of his work as a Local Leader in Education.  Leaders at all levels are ambitious for pupils to succeed. Actions taken to improve weaknesses are resulting in rapid improvement, particularly in achievement. Staff questionnaires show unanimous support for the school’s leadership and confirm that teachers and support staff understand their own role within the ‘bigger picture’.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders are well supported and generally lead their areas of responsibility well. As with senior leaders, however, they do not track pupils’ progress carefully enough and have not always picked up that some more-able pupils could achieve more.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s systems to manage the performance of teachers work well. Senior leaders check teaching quality regularly and are generally accurate in their judgements.

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The leadership and management are good

 Assemblies, displays visits, musical, artistic and sporting pursuits contribute well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils, teachers and support staff appreciate each other’s efforts. The ethos of the school is one of care, commitment and respect.

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The leadership and management are good

 The extra sports funding has been used to provide coaching in multi-skills, gymnastics, dance and football, which has resulted in both the girls’ and boys’ football teams qualifying for the county finals. Staff have also benefited from training.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils say they enjoy the range of subjects and topics they study and think that learning in the school ‘is fun’. They benefit from the school’s policy of developing skills in mathematics, reading, writing and communication through other subject areas.

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The leadership and management are good

 The themes that pupils study give them a good appreciation of diversity and of other cultures. For example, work is frequently related to the celebrations seen in the Chinese New Year and Diwali and to developing pupils’ understanding of the challenges facing different peoples in Africa. The school is committed to ensuring all pupils enjoy equal opportunities and to tackling swiftly any hint of discrimination, should it ever occur.

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The leadership and management are good

 The large majority of parents agree that their children are happy, safe, well looked after and well behaved, are taught well and make good progress. They say they receive useful information about their child’s progress, are listened to if they have a concern and would recommend the school to another parent.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority supports the school well. The school makes good use of its services, for example through termly headteacher briefings, training for the newly qualified teacher, and meetings to ensure the level of pupils’ work is assessed accurately.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding requirements comply with current government regulations.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are closely involved in the life and work of the school and take seriously their role of providing challenge and support the school’s leadership. They are clear about the school’s strengths and areas for development.  Governors understand how good teaching is, how good teachers are rewarded and how support has improved the impact of teaching. They appraise the performance of the headteacher well, taking full account of emerging patterns in pupils’ performance and his impact on teaching and leadership.  Governors are a strong team. Several governors participate in assisting academic and creative club activities outside the school day and all are expected to be a ‘teaching assistant for the day’ each year. One governor who volunteers on a regular basis said, ‘You always come out smiling when you’ve been here!’  Governors ensure finances and resources are used efficiently and play a full part in decisions

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The leadership and management are good

made around the use of the government’s pupil premium and sports funding.  The governors’ formal programme of visits gives them first-hand information, and meeting records show they monitor the progress of the school’s development plan carefully. However, governors realise they do not know enough about what the data on the achievement of individual pupils is telling them, or fully understand what needs to improve and why.

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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 122638 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 431227

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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 117 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stuart Eakin Headteacher Jeremy Bingham Date of previous school inspection 10 June 2009 Telephone number 01777 870439 Fax number 01777 872322 Email address office@eastmarkham.notts.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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

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School details

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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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