Leighterton Primary School

School report Leighterton Primary School

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 The school’s performance has declined since the previous inspection. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 is now average rather than above average.  Not enough pupils make good progress in mathematics. The more able pupils in particular are not making quick enough progress.  Weaknesses in teaching hold back pupils’ progress, particularly in Key Stage 2.  Teachers do not always do enough to check the depth of the pupils’ understanding during lessons. Consequently, they do not adapt tasks and explanations when necessary.  Teachers do not always give work which is closely matched to the pupils’ needs.  Teachers do not always ensure pupils respond to the guidance on how to improve their work.  Governors have not challenged the school sufficiently swiftly to address the declining standards.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils behave well and have a good attitude to learning. Pupils enjoy learning, because in most lessons, teachers prepare activities which keep them engaged.  Safety is good; pupils are well aware of how to keep safe.  Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Children’s progress is carefully monitored.  Pupils’ attendance is consistently high.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed seven lessons or part lessons and some small groups being taught. Most teachers were observed twice. Three lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  The inspection included observations of playtime and lunchtime.  The inspector looked at pupils’ work and heard some pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and two other members, and with members of staff with specific responsibilities.  The lead inspector had a meeting with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 29 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. He talked to some parents as they brought their children to school. The lead inspector received and noted one message from a parent.  The inspector took account of the 14 responses to the staff questionnaire.  He observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s data

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Information about this inspection

on pupils’ progress, planning and monitoring documentation, and records relating to pupils’ behaviour, attendance, safeguarding and the performance management of teachers.

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Inspection team

John Taylor, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in one class with some Year 1 children. Other pupils are taught in mixed-age classes.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with 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 well below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional funding for looked after children and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is extremely low.  The headteacher took up her post in September 2012. Two temporary teachers are currently standing in for two teachers on long-term leave. The school has made two permanent appointments from September 2014.  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 the quality of teaching by:  ensuring that all pupils are given appropriately challenging work  ensuring that teachers check up on pupils’ understanding during lessons and adapt tasks and explanations where necessary.  Improve pupils’ achievement in mathematics by:  ensuring teachers’ marking shows pupils specifically where they can improve their work and that teachers check that pupils make the appropriate corrections and improvements  increasing teachers’ expectations for the more able pupils and making sure that sufficiently challenging work is given to these pupils.  Improve the effectiveness of the school’s leadership by:  ensuring governors more frequently challenge the school about the progress that pupils are making.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the Reception/Year 1 class with levels of knowledge and understanding in line with those expected for their age. They learn well through interesting activities, with a strong focus on developing their language and literacy skills.  In the national phonics (the sounds letters make) check at the end of Year 1, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected level has been above the national average for the past two years.  For the past five years, the pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has been declining from a position well above the national average to a position where it is broadly average. The school’s information shows that this decline in attainment has been halted.  In Key Stage 2, pupils’ progress in mathematics is weak. Although attainment in mathematics is broadly similar to the national average, the proportion of pupils making good progress is well below average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s information shows that the pupils’ progress in reading and writing is improving; this is supported by the work seen in their books. Boys’ progress has improved and is now broadly in-line with girls’ progress. Attainment in these subjects is above the national average.  Information on the attainment of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs shows that they are making similar progress to their peers.  Too few of the most able pupils are making more than expected progress, especially in mathematics, due to the lack of appropriately challenging work.  The school has taken effective action to make sure that the very few pupils who benefit from the pupil premium funding make at least as good progress as other pupils in the school. This reflects the school’s strong commitment to promoting equality of opportunity.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Weaknesses in teaching hold back the pupils’ progress, particularly in Key Stage 2. Lessons are not always planned to meet the needs of different groups of pupils. As a result, the work set does not provide appropriate challenge for pupils and this limits their progress.  Teachers do not consistently make enough use of appropriate strategies to find out how well pupils are learning during lessons. This means that work may either not be pitched at the right level or that pupils may not fully understand new material before the lesson moves on.  Teachers do not always express high enough expectations of the pupils’ abilities to achieve the best possible levels of work. Whilst pupils have a good attitude to learning, teachers do not do enough to encourage them to work towards the highest possible standards.  Marking is regular but does not consistently provide specific feedback on how pupils can improve

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

their work or ensure pupils respond to the advice given.  During the inspection, the Reception/Year 1 class were using the ‘Billy Goat Gruff’ story as a focus of their work. During these sessions, they enjoyed a variety of well-planned tasks which included phonics (the sounds letters make) work, and activities to help them improve their fine motor skills and develop their language. Children made good progress in all these areas.  Teaching assistants provide effective support to the pupils, especially in the younger classes. They work in close cooperation with the class teachers. They guide the pupils in their work and help them to find answers for themselves.  Pupils say they enjoy the lessons and the vast majority of parents feel their children are taught well at the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils say most behave well for almost all of the time. School records show that behaviour has improved and is now typically good over time.  In the Reception/Year 1 class, there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere where the children enjoy learning. One child said, ‘I like doing my work at Leighterton School, I like doing writing.’ There is a safe environment where the children are well supervised.  Pupils know the difference between teasing and different types of bullying. They are friendly, courteous and helpful. They say that bullying very rarely takes place.  Pupils behave well around the school and at lunchtime. They play cooperatively with each other, using the large outside area and the wide range of equipment.  Pupils are usually well motivated and keen to get on with their work; they try hard and maintain concentration even if the work is too easy for them. Pupils say that there is sometimes a little

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

too much chattering in class which can slow their learning.  In lessons, pupils show a good attitude to work; they are eager to learn and very willing to contribute. They are very cooperative and support each other’s learning. They move swiftly from one activity to another and are good at following instructions, so their learning can move on quickly.  The school’s work to keep the pupils safe is good. Pupils feel safe in school, and parents agree. Older pupils are aware of how to keep safe on the internet, and on social media.  There have been no exclusions in recent years. Pupils’ attendance has consistently been well above the national average.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement has declined since the previous inspection.  Information about pupils’ progress has not, in the past, been analysed in sufficient detail to help the school identify any groups of pupils who may not be achieving as well as they should, and therefore to provide further support. The recently introduced, more frequent and increasingly accurate systems for checking pupils’ progress are showing signs of helping the school address the required areas.  The school’s self-evaluation is a little over-generous. However, the school’s development plan is focused on the appropriate areas which need to be addressed and the progress of this plan is regularly monitored. However, in some places the plan does not set out measurable targets.  During this academic year, the school has had several changes to staffing. As a result, there are some gaps in the leadership of subjects. The headteacher recognises this and has taken

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The leadership and management requires improvement

appropriate action to address these from the start of next term. In the meantime, she conducts lesson observations to identify areas of teaching which can be improved.  Pupil premium funding is effectively targeted at the very small number of eligible pupils. The school’s monitoring means that staff are able to evaluate the impact of the different uses of this funding on narrowing the gap in attainment between these pupils and their classmates.  The local authority supported the headteacher to settle into her post, and this ‘light touch’ support has continued.  The school is making increasing use of partnerships with local schools to support them in improving the quality of teaching.  The primary sports funding has been used to enable pupils to engage in a greater range of sporting activity than previously, including competitive sports. It is also being used to enhance the teachers’ own skills in teaching physical education.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum helps pupils develop strong moral values and increases their cultural awareness. Good links with the local church are used to increase the pupils’ spiritual knowledge and understanding.  Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. An experienced and knowledgeable leader, with a good knowledge of the children’s’ individual progress, has ensured appropriate areas of learning are thoroughly covered.  The governance of the school:  Governors do not provide sufficient challenge to the school. Whilst they have clear evidence about the rate of pupils’ progress, they do not use this information to challenge the school to improve when the progress is not good enough.  Governors are aware of the areas that need developing and have a good knowledge of the school. Governors are aware of how the sports funding is used. They have an accurate knowledge of the quality of teaching and how underperformance has been tackled. They know

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The leadership and management requires improvement

that teachers’ performance is linked to pay. They are aware of how the pupil premium funding is spent and its impact. They have ensured safeguarding meets statutory requirements. They rigorously, and frequently, check the school’s finances.  Governors make good use of the local authority’s support and training.

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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 115507 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 439557

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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 94 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anthony Hubbard Headteacher Jane Attwood Date of previous school inspection 19 May 2009 Telephone number 01666 890273 Fax number 01666 890576 Email address admin@leighterton.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 and 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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